The Kremlin has flatly denied receiving any official invitation for President Vladimir Putin to meet his Ukrainian counterpart on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France, deepening the diplomatic stalemate over how—and where—direct talks between the two leaders might ever take place. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that no proposal had been transmitted “through official channels,” adding pointedly that such channels between Moscow and Kyiv simply do not exist. Instead, he reiterated a long-standing Russian position: if Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared for a “responsible and serious” discussion on ending the conflict, “he can always come to Moscow, where he will be received.”

Peskov’s remarks came after Zelensky publicly stated he had proposed a bilateral encounter at the G7 gathering in Évian-les-Bains, framing the summit as an ideal venue to pursue a peace settlement in the presence of Western allies. The Ukrainian leader’s overture, however, was met not only with silence from the Kremlin but also with derision from Russia’s foreign ministry. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the initiative as “megaphone diplomacy,” suggesting Zelensky was more interested in spectacle than substance, and characterised an earlier open letter from the Ukrainian president as boorish in tone. Viewed from Kyiv, the G7 proposal was a logical attempt to secure a neutral, internationally witnessed forum; from Moscow, it was a publicity stunt that ignored the reality of severed diplomatic ties.

The exchange underscores the fundamental asymmetry in how the two sides envision a pathway to negotiations. Western capitals, particularly Washington and London, have consistently backed Ukraine’s insistence that any settlement must involve robust international guarantees and that Russia cannot dictate the terms of engagement. The G7, which brings together the world’s leading industrialised democracies, would have offered precisely that multilateral framework. Yet Moscow has shown no appetite for a setting where it would be outnumbered, preferring instead to cast itself as the magnanimous host ready to receive a Ukrainian leader who, in its narrative, has yet to demonstrate genuine willingness to negotiate.

Analysts note that the episode also highlights the near-total breakdown of direct communication between the two governments. Peskov’s reminder that no official channels exist is both a statement of fact and a strategic signal: Moscow will not countenance backchannel diplomacy that might legitimise Kyiv’s current leadership on equal footing. The Kremlin’s repeated invitations for Zelensky to travel to Moscow, first issued in earlier phases of the conflict, are seen in Western diplomatic circles as a non-starter—tantamount to demanding capitulation in both substance and symbolism. As the G7 summit concluded without any movement on the proposal, the prospects for a leaders’ meeting remain as remote as ever, with each side waiting for the other to step into a forum it considers unacceptable.