Zelenskyy’s former spokesperson advises him to travel to Moscow for talks with Putin

Former Ukrainian presidential spokesperson Yulia Mendel has said she would advise President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel personally to Moscow in search of a diplomatic solution to end the war. She argued that the Ukrainian president has the means to establish contacts with Russia’s leadership but has shown little willingness to pursue them.

Mendel made the remarks in an interview with Denys Yelisevych.

“I said I would recommend that he fly to Moscow. First of all, half of Zelenskyy’s phone contacts are members of the Moscow elite, the Russian elite, and so on. And if he needed to find a diplomatic path, believe me, he would find a way to do it. He simply doesn’t even have that goal,” Mendel said.

She also expressed her belief that Russia would not attempt to kill Zelenskyy during such a visit. However, she offered no security guarantees for a potential trip.

As a historical example, Mendel pointed to Finland, which agreed to territorial concessions following its war with the Soviet Union but preserved its independence and eventually developed into a prosperous democratic state.

According to Mendel, Finland’s leadership prioritized the survival and well-being of its people despite having to make difficult territorial decisions.

“Finland is now in NATO, it has an incredibly strong economy and a very strong democracy. Finland is one of the strongest countries in the world precisely because it put its people first,” Mendel said.

The former spokesperson also criticized Zelenskyy’s approach to diplomacy, arguing that the president is overly focused on his political image and has become increasingly disconnected from the realities facing Ukrainian society.

On September 13, 2026, Ukraine imposed personal sanctions on Yulia Mendel, who served as Zelenskyy’s spokesperson from 2019 to 2021. She was included on a sanctions list alongside other individuals whom Ukrainian authorities accused of spreading disinformation and Russian propaganda.

Mendel described the sanctions as unconstitutional and linked them to her public stance on peace negotiations.