Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet in Kostyantynivka after Russian claims of capture

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him in the town of Kostyantynivka, following Moscow’s claims that the city is under Russian control.

“If Kostyantynivka is now under Russian control, then Putin will probably have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to finally end the war. The truth is very different from Putin’s words,” Zelenskyy said.

He also accused Putin of deliberately spreading false information about the situation on the battlefield ahead of US Independence Day, saying the Russian leader was attempting to mislead both the international community and US President Donald Trump.

On Friday Putin claimed that Russian forces had captured Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has rejected the claim, insisting that the city remains under Ukrainian control.