Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Thursday night on Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a face-to-face meeting, in a renewed attempt to end the war that has continued since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In an open letter to Putin, Zelenskyy wrote that it would be “wrong to simply wait” until the war in Europe returns to the center of U.S. attention, stressing that peace can come only through direct dialogue between Kyiv and Moscow.
Zelensky called for a full cease-fire throughout the proposed negotiations — a demand Putin had already rejected earlier Thursday. He said the talks could be held in a relatively neutral country, such as Switzerland or Turkey. The Kremlin confirmed it had received the letter and said Putin would be briefed on its contents.
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(Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters,Gleb Garanich/Reuters, AFP, Oleg Petrasiuk/Handout via Reuters)
The letter, more than 1,800 words long, was published against the backdrop of stalled cease-fire contacts in recent months, after the failure of previous rounds in Geneva, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul — and as Washington is now focused on the war in Iran.
“We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention,” Zelensky wrote.
Addressing Putin directly, Zelensky wrote: “It is not as if we in Ukraine are concerned about the fate of Russian soldiers after everything your war has brought to our country. But I do care about Ukrainians. We are losing our people, and every loss is painful to us."
He added that Russians, too, are tired of the war, Ukrainian drone and missile attacks, fuel shortages and rising prices. “Do not be afraid to take the path out of this war. That is the main thing that is required of you now,” he wrote.
Zelensky did not limit his letter to a call for a meeting and a temporary cease-fire during negotiations. He also proposed a broad prisoner exchange, as well as the return of civilians and children taken to Russia — an issue Kyiv has raised repeatedly since the start of the war.
Ukrainian drone attack on outskirts of St. Petersburg
On the day the letter was published, Putin was in St. Petersburg, where a major economic forum is being held. A day earlier, Kyiv launched a drone attack toward the outskirts of the city — a strike Zelensky referred to in his letter as a “visit.” Separately, Russian-backed authorities in occupied Crimea accused Ukraine of killing four people in attacks on the city of Simferopol. Ukraine said the target was a fuel depot.
Putin, speaking with foreign journalists at the St. Petersburg forum, said he was “certainly ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine,” but added that compromises would be necessary. At the same time, he cast doubt on the possibility of a meeting or agreement by again challenging Zelensky’s status.
“Whether Mr. Zelensky is a legitimate representative of Ukraine is a question for lawyers, for legal analysis,” he said.
The Russian president also signaled that Moscow still seeks to control the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and hinted that the European Union could persuade Zelensky to give it up. Zelensky, for his part, accused Putin in the letter of repeatedly missing his own timelines for capturing areas in Ukraine, especially Donetsk province in the Donbas.
“You will not capture it,” he wrote.
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U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington played a significant role in bringing the sides closer to possible talks
(Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump commented on Zelensky’s letter, saying he believed Washington had played a significant role in bringing the sides closer to possible talks.
“I’m glad they may be talking about a meeting. I think we had a big part in that,” Trump said. “I think it would be great if they met. They should. Let them get it over with.”
Asked what compromises Russia and Ukraine would have to make, Trump said he would “rather not say” what they would be, but added: “I want each of them to make certain compromises, and I think they will.”
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the U.S. position on Ukraine “is no different” from that of its European allies. He added a direct political jab at the White House: “Biden’s war has become Trump’s war.”