Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects Russian invitation to Moscow with sarcastic remark

On September 23, 2026, while attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed invitations to visit Moscow for direct talks with Vladimir Putin. When repeatedly questioned by Russian state television journalists about when he intended to travel to the Russian capital, Zelenskyy responded dryly that he would only do so "on a missile." According to reports, the Ukrainian president also used an expletive in Russian during the exchange to express his frustration.

While Zelenskyy has previously stated a willingness to meet Putin, he maintains that such a meeting must occur in a neutral location. The Russian response to the incident was mixed; the Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, claimed not to interpret the comment as a formal rejection of future dialogue. Conversely, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mocked the Ukrainian leader's statement, suggesting it reflected a fear for his own life. The incident occurred shortly after Zelenskyy held discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding efforts to conclude the ongoing war in Ukraine.