Putin Does Not Plan to Meet Other Leaders During Olympic Games

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan to hold separate bilateral meetings with other leaders during the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on February 4. This was reported by Russia's presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov in response to a question from TASS regarding whether the Kremlin has received inquiries from leaders of other states about holding separate meetings with the Russian President during the opening ceremony.

Peskov stated, “We have already mentioned several times that the organizers of the ceremony have been forced to impose a number of strict restrictions on both athletes and guests, including officials. Therefore, for understandable reasons, there will be no bilateral meetings on the agenda of the Russian President in Beijing.”

When asked whether the possibility of communication between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will also attend the opening ceremony, is being discussed, Peskov replied that no such meeting is currently planned. “Although we cannot completely rule it out, I emphasize once again that there are no bilateral meetings on President Putin’s agenda, except for negotiations with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China,” he noted.