Zelenskyy rejects Moscow visit with sharp response to Russian journalists

On September 23, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to repeated questions from Russian journalists regarding a potential visit to Moscow by stating he would travel there only "on a missile." The exchange took place in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly after the Russian president invited Zelenskyy to the Russian capital for direct talks. During the interaction, the Ukrainian president also used an expletive in Russian to express his frustration.

While Zelenskyy has consistently maintained that he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin only in a neutral location, the Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, claimed it did not interpret the remark as a definitive rejection of a visit. Simultaneously, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked the Ukrainian leader, suggesting his comment reflected a fear that a trip to Moscow would be fatal. This incident follows a meeting between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump, where they discussed efforts to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The video of the exchange was widely shared across both Ukrainian and Russian media outlets, with Russian sources censoring the vulgar language used by the Ukrainian president. There are no further scheduled meetings or diplomatic developments reported regarding a potential summit in Russia at this time.