Did Fico carry a Zelenskyy message to Putin? What each side said

Fico’s account: Zelenskyy was ready to meet “in any format”

According to Fico, Zelenskyy told him during a personal meeting in Armenia that he was prepared to meet Putin “in any format.” Fico said he conveyed that position to the Russian side during his Moscow visit, and then said Zelenskyy should call Putin directly if he wanted a meeting.

That framing placed Fico in the role of messenger. He was not merely saying Zelenskyy supports diplomacy; he was claiming he had transmitted Zelenskyy’s readiness for direct contact to Moscow.

The Kremlin’s response: no Zelenskyy “message” was passed

The Kremlin disputed the handoff. Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said Fico had not passed on any “messages” from Zelenskyy during the May 9 Moscow meeting, although Ukraine was discussed and Fico mentioned his recent meeting with Zelenskyy.

Ushakov’s account drew a line between discussing Ukraine and carrying an authorized message. He said Zelenskyy had shared his assessment of the situation with Fico, but had not asked Fico to pass anything on to Putin.

Kyiv’s response: Ukraine is ready for a leaders’ meeting to end the war

Kyiv did not publicly adopt every part of Fico’s wording. Presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said Zelenskyy had told Fico that Ukraine wants the war to end, needs “worthy solutions,” and is ready for a leaders’ meeting aimed at ending the war.

That statement keeps open the possibility of leader-level diplomacy, but it does not settle whether Fico was asked to deliver a message to Putin.

The real disagreement

The dispute is less about whether direct talks are imaginable and more about authorization and framing. Fico presented himself as having conveyed Zelenskyy’s readiness to Moscow; the Kremlin said no message was passed; Kyiv emphasized Ukraine’s broader diplomatic position rather than validating Fico’s exact account.

Bottom line

The safest conclusion is narrow: Fico claimed he relayed Zelenskyy’s readiness for a direct meeting with Putin; the Kremlin denied receiving a Zelenskyy message through Fico; and Kyiv described Ukraine as ready for leader-level talks focused on ending the war, without fully endorsing Fico’s version of the handoff.

That leaves the most sensitive point unresolved in the public record: whether Fico was an authorized messenger, or whether he was publicly interpreting a private conversation with Zelenskyy after his Moscow meeting.