Putin rejects Zelenskyy’s proposal for direct talks

Putin Rejects Zelenskyy’s Call for Direct Peace Talks at St. Petersburg Forum

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for face-to-face negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. Putin argued that Moscow seeks a comprehensive settlement rather than a temporary truce, rebuffing Zelenskyy’s offer of a full ceasefire during any talks.reuters

The rejection came a day after Zelenskyy published an open letter addressed directly to Putin — the first such public message between the two leaders since the full-scale invasion began in 2022 — calling for direct engagement to end more than four years of war.apnews

Zelenskyy’s Letter Strikes a Confrontational Tone

In the letter, published on the Ukrainian presidency’s official website on Thursday, Zelenskyy proposed meeting in a neutral country such as Switzerland, Turkey, or an Arab state. He offered a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations and an all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war as a “good prologue to ending the war.”dw

But Zelenskyy also taunted Putin directly. “Whatever you may say about NATO, geopolitics, or the Russian language, this war is your personal choice — a war without a real cause,” the letter stated. The New York Times reported that Zelenskyy mocked Putin over military setbacks, rising inflation, and Russia’s growing dependence on China.nytimes

The letter came as Zelenskyy signaled confidence from recent Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russian territory. On Tuesday, he said those operations allow Kyiv to “negotiate the end of the war on an equal footing.” A Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on the morning the forum opened.reuters

Kremlin’s Response and Broader Diplomatic Context

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Putin had not yet seen the letter and repeated Moscow’s standing position that Zelenskyy was “welcome in Moscow” for talks — an offer Zelenskyy pointedly rejected. Putin said last month he does not exclude meeting in a third country, but only when there is a deal ready to sign.youtube

“Naturally, the Ukrainian side would like us to suspend the advances made by Russian troops,” Putin told international journalists at SPIEF on Thursday. “But it would be better to end the war by agreeing to the compromises that were discussed in Anchorage.”wftv

In Washington, President Donald Trump called a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting “great” if it were to happen, though U.S.-brokered peace talks have been paused. Zelenskyy acknowledged in his letter that it would be “wrong to merely wait” for the war to return as a U.S. priority while Washington remains focused on the conflict with Iran.bbc