Putin Would Pick Up If Zelensky Calls, Ushakov Says

Moscow, November 1: Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would answer a phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that Moscow has never ruled out talks with Kyiv.

In comments to a Vesti reporter, Ushakov said Putin has never refused to speak with Zelensky. If Zelensky calls, Putin will take the call, and the two leaders would certainly hold a conversation, he said.

Ushakov also said that if Zelensky wants to meet the Russian president face to face, he is welcome to come to Moscow. He noted that Zelensky has been sending signals through various channels, and argued that a trip to Moscow would be the clearest sign of a sincere wish for negotiations.

The remarks follow a fresh round of Russian strikes that Zelensky says have targeted Ukraine's energy network. He stated that Russia deliberately hit energy facilities in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and Khmelnytskyi on Saturday night. He added that large attacks on other key infrastructure in the country were continuing.

According to Ukrainian reports, Zelensky is planning talks with international partners to obtain 10 to 30 air defense missiles from their stockpiles on an urgent, temporary basis.

Zelensky had earlier described a rotation arrangement at a press briefing in Istanbul on October 31. The aim is to fill a major shortage of weapons before winter, as missiles promised under an American purchase programme face production delays of several years.