Russian President Vladimir Putin would take a call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Kremlin aide said, as the two countries continue exchanging missile strikes.
“I think he would answer, of course. Putin has never refused talks,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
Ushakov added that Zelensky would be welcome to travel to Moscow if he wanted to meet Putin face to face.
The comments followed efforts by Finland’s president to act as an intermediary this week, passing on Zelensky’s stated willingness to begin negotiations.
Ushakov also suggested that the next stage of peace discussions should involve Russia, Ukraine and the United States in a three-way format.
Asked whether European nations should take part, the Kremlin aide pointed to Moscow’s existing contacts with Washington. “We have working contacts with the Americans. Therefore, it is logical, of course, that at least the first rounds of negotiations should be held in a trilateral format,” he said.
The latest diplomatic signals came after Russia and Ukraine agreed last week to a ceasefire in the Ukrainian town of Oleshky, an arrangement brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.
During his Sunday prayer, Pope Leo said he hoped the agreement would help open the door to wider peace initiatives.
Kremlin aide says Vladimir Putin would answer a call from Volodymyr Zelensky
President Zelensky also said Ukrainian strikes had successfully hit a Russian oil facility
Pope Leo said: “A humanitarian operation has been carried out to help the civilian population in the city of Oleshky.
I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary humanitarian gesture possible, will strengthen their willingness to engage in dialogue and lead to fresh, concrete initiatives for peace.”
Pope Leo spoke with both Putin and Zelensky on October 16.
According to the Kremlin, Putin told the pope that he backed a Vatican initiative to deliver supplies to civilians in Oleshky and was prepared to cooperate with the effort.
On Tuesday, the Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said that despite Leo’s recent conversations with Putin and Zelensky, he did not believe the Vatican had directly helped arrange the six-day ceasefire.
Meanwhile, one of Russia’s largest oil refineries was still burning on Wednesday morning after an overnight Ukrainian drone strike.
Fires were reported at the sprawling Kstovo facility in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region.
Russia said on Sunday that a drone had struck an “industrial enterprise” east of Moscow during the night.
Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin described the incident as a “massive drone attack”, saying an “industrial enterprise in the Kstovo district sustained significant damage”.
“More than 100 drones were destroyed,” Nikitin said, adding that “according to preliminary information, there are no casualties”. He did not identify the facility’s operations.
Russian investigators are investigating on suspicion of terrorism charges following the strikes.
Ukrainian media reported an attack on the Kstovo oil refinery, calling it ‘one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, producing fuel and lubricants’.
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President Zelensky also said Ukrainian strikes had successfully hit the Kamesky plant in Russia’s Rostov region.
Moscow said Friday that Ukraine had resumed its strikes on Russian oil refineries after a ‘pause’ of several days.
Senior Russian official Alexander Novak told a reporter from state TV that Ukraine had resumed attacks on Russian plants, hitting three oil refineries and one gas-chemical complex.
Kyiv has repeatedly struck Russian oil and gas sites in retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since Moscow began its offensive there in February 2022.
US President Donald Trump had been pressuring Kyiv for weeks to stop such attacks, blaming them for the rising cost of diesel.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of households in Ukraine were left without power on Sunday after Russia targeted infrastructure in four regions overnight, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.
‘The intensity of the strikes is very high, and the Russians are seeking to maximally exploit the deficit of ballistic missile interceptors,’ Zelensky said.
On Saturday, Ukraine hit Russia with kamikaze drones launched from weather balloons in a bid to erupt Moscow’s airports into chaos.
Kremlin war channels revealed how Zelensky used the unconventional tactic to close airspace around the Russian capital.
‘This is the type of device the enemy is using to target the Russian capital, in an attempt to disrupt the operations of the Moscow aviation hub,’ reported New Military Columnist.
The balloons are reportedly used to fly the drones to the target area at high altitude before they are launched to cause maximum damage.
The Kstovo oil refinery, owned by Russian giant Lukoil, is on fire after Ukrainian drone strike on Nizhny Novgorod region
The huge oil refinery remained burning this morning following overnight strikes
Across Russia today there were reports of almost 1,000 delayed or cancelled flights amid growing frustration at Ukraine’s escalating bid to disrupt Putin’s airspace.
Most are regular drones launched from Ukraine.
By early afternoon there were reports of 84 flights delayed and 45 cancelled.
Smoke was seen close to Sheremetyevo amid suspicions an unmanned plane had crashed in the vicinity.
Some reports said the smoke was close to a Rosneft oil depot.
Vnukovo Airport – used by Russian officials and VIP guests – suffered 119 delays and ten cancellations.
Some passengers have been waiting days for their flights as planes are held at other airports, unable to fly to Moscow.
Novosibirsk – the largest airport in Siberia – suffered around 100 disrupted aircraft.
St Petersburg’s Pulkovo reported 138 delays or cancellations.