Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin proposing a face-to-face meeting to end more than four years of war. In the letter, the first public message sent directly to Putin since the full-scale invasion in 2022, Zelenskiy proposed a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations and suggested neutral host countries such as Switzerland, Turkey, or nations in the Arab world. Zelenskiy argued that many Russians have grown tired of inflation, fuel shortages, and drone attacks, warning that Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence if a peaceful resolution is not reached.
President Vladimir Putin rejected the call for a meeting, describing the letter as rude and lacking sincerity. Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin stated he currently sees no point in meeting Zelenskiy and maintained that Russian troops are advancing on the battlefield every day. While Putin mentioned that peace proposals from U.S. President Donald Trump could end the fighting if Kyiv were ready to compromise, he continues to demand that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the rest of the Donbas region. Zelenskiy has rejected this demand, viewing it as a call for capitulation.
Russian nationalists and war bloggers dismissed the letter as a malicious public relations stunt designed to stir up internal discontent and panic within Russia. They argued that there is no common ground for discussion apart from the exchange of prisoners and bodies. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials indicated the letter was intended to signal to the Russian elite and Western governments that Kyiv is in a stronger negotiating position, coinciding with a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil terminal in St Petersburg during the economic forum.