Peskov did not rule out Zelensky’s visit to Moscow even after his joke about a missile

Spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, said that he did not hear Vladimir Zelenskiy decline a trip to Moscow. This is how he commented to Russian journalists in New York, who asked when he would visit the Russian capital, and heard in response: “On a rocket, f---”.

This was reported by the Kremlin's press service.

Russian journalists turned to Zelenskiy in New York, where the autumn session of the United Nations General Assembly is taking place. They repeatedly asked him the same question about a possible trip to Moscow.

At first, the Ukrainian president did not respond to these appeals. Later, as he was walking past the journalists, he briefly uttered a phrase about a rocket.

The next day, Russian journalists asked Peskov to comment on Zelenskiy’s words. The Kremlin spokesman did not explain the meaning of the Ukrainian president’s reply and instead stated that he had not heard a direct refusal from him to make the trip.

“Zelenskiy did not refuse to come to Moscow. I, at least, did not hear that,” Peskov said.

During the same briefing, the Kremlin spokesman also answered questions about the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. It referred to the statement by Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga, who the day before announced Kyiv’s readiness to an immediate ceasefire.

Peskov stated that Moscow is open to the negotiating process, but contrasted achieving peace with a temporary truce. “We are open to a peaceful settlement process, but we believe that one should strive for peace, not for a temporary ceasefire,” the Kremlin spokesman said.