Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskyy to Moscow for talks, not capitulation, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, RIA Novosti reports.

“Zelenskyy was invited to Moscow to talk, not capitulation,” Peskov told reporters on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union. “We [i.e. Russia] would like to achieve our objectives through diplomatic and peaceful means. [But] as long as we don’t have such opportunities, we will continue the special military operation [in Ukraine].”

According to Peskov, the possible deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine will not bring the conflict resolution closer. “You cannot guarantee the security of one country [i.e. Ukraine] by undermining the security of another country [i.e. Russia]. In our opinion, this will not help us move closer to resolving the Ukrainian conflict," said the Russian leader's press secretary.