Kuchma's former adviser explained Zelensky's refusal to go to Moscow by fear of Putin

Soskin: Zelensky 'cannot bring himself to call Putin' out of fear

Former adviser to ex-President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, Oleh Soskin, said on air on his YouTube channel, that Volodymyr Zelensky avoids contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin out of fear. According to him, 'Zelensky, because of his pride or because of his fear, his terror of Putin, or some other reasons, cannot bring himself to call Putin.' Soskin believes that the Ukrainian leader rejects all Russian invitations to a meeting because of his 'own cowardice,' which, in his view, only harms the country. 'If Zelensky weren't trembling like a hare, he would have long since gone to Moscow, and he could even have taken his advisers with him. They might have come in handy,' his words are quoted by Gazeta.Ru.

Context: Moscow's invitations and Zelensky's position

Soskin's statement came against the backdrop of positions previously voiced by the two sides. On September 12, Zelensky expressed a desire to meet with Putin on the sidelines of the December G20 summit, which is to be held in the United States, but did not specify exactly what he intended to discuss, noting at the same time that only the results of the talks matter. The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, responded by remindingthat the head of Ukraine could come to Moscow if he wants to talk with Putin, while the Russian president's aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the Russian leader's readiness to receive Zelensky in Moscow. Thus, there is a clear divergence: Zelensky allowed for a meeting on neutral ground in the United States, whereas Moscow offered its own capital — and it is precisely the absence of a trip to Moscow that Soskin explains by the Ukrainian president's personal qualities. This is his personal assessment, not a confirmed fact; Zelensky's own motives are not given in the publication. Separately, Gazeta.Ru mentions that earlier, in one European country, there were calls for 'everyone to call Putin', without details about who said this and in what context.