Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a face-to-face meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, saying it is the only way to end the war, the BBC reported.
In an open letter to Putin, the Ukrainian leader said it would be wrong to simply wait for the US to turn its attention back to the war in Europe, and added that peace can only be achieved through direct communication between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky also called for a complete ceasefire while peace talks are underway, but Putin rejected such a possibility on the 4th of June. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he thought it would be great if the two leaders met.
The Kremlin confirmed that it had received the open letter and that it would be presented to Putin. The tone of the letter is belligerent, even mocking, drawing attention to Ukraine’s recent strikes on Russian territory. Zelensky has said that after 26 years in power, age is starting to take its toll on Putin.
The letter also includes an invitation. Zelensky wrote that Ukraine proposes to end the war through direct negotiations, and he offers a meeting. This is not the first time that Zelensky has offered to meet, and, as before, the Kremlin has responded, indicating that the Ukrainian and Putin can meet in Moscow.
What is different this time is Kyiv’s recognition that the United States is currently fully focused on the issue of Iran.
Speaking to foreign journalists in St. Petersburg, Putin, who was not familiar with the contents of the letter, said that he was ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine, but that it would be necessary to make compromises. The Russian dictator indicated that since Trump is busy with Iran, the European Union could persuade Zelensky to give up the territory.
According to Putin, Ukraine must withdraw its forces from four partially occupied regions of Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – and abandon its efforts to join NATO. Ukraine has ruled out the possibility of returning the territories, saying it would encourage Russia to invade again, as it did in 2022, six years after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimea.
In the more than 1,800-word letter, Zelensky said that it is not the case that Ukraine, after all that the Russian war has brought to the country, cares about the fate of Russian soldiers, but that he cares about Ukrainians – the country loses a person, and every loss is very painful.
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