Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin for direct talks between the two in an attempt to end multi-year war.
In an open letter to the Russian president, Zelensky wrote that it would be “wrong to simply wait” until the war in Europe is again in the spotlight of the United States of America (USA), adding that peace can only come “through direct engagement” of Ukraine and Russia.
He also called for a complete ceasefire during the proposed negotiations, although Putin rejected that possibility.
US President Donald Trump said that “it would be great” if the two leaders met.
The Kremlin confirmed that it had received the letter and that Putin would be informed about it.
The tone of Zelenskyi’s letter is defiant, occasionally with a touch of mocking Russia due to Ukraine’s recent attacks on Russian territory.
“After 26 years in power, old age is starting to take its toll,” Zelensky wrote, alluding to the Russian president’s age.
Vladimir Putin he is 73 years old, but so far there have been no indications that his health, mental and physical, is in any way compromised.
The letter also contains an invitation to Putin for a direct meeting.
“Ukraine proposes to end this war by directly engaging me and you,” Zelensky wrote.
It is not the first time that the Ukrainian president has made such a proposal.
But, as on several previous occasions, the Kremlin said that Zelensky could come to Moscow to talk to Putin.
However, in the letter, Zelensky suggested another meeting place – Switzerland or Turkey.
One of the most significant things in the letter is Kiev’s public acknowledgment that the US is “fully focused on solving the Iran issue.”
“It would be a mistake to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of their attention,” Zelensky wrote.
Speaking to foreign reporters in St. Petersburg, apparently without having read the contents of the letter, Putin said he was “certainly ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine,” but said compromises needed to be made.
He again, as many times before, questioned the legitimacy of Zelensky as the president of Ukraine because the regular presidential elections were postponed until the end of the war.
‘The EU should force Zelenski to hand over the territory’: Putin
Putin said that since Trump is preoccupied with Iran, the European Union (EU) can persuade Zelensky to hand over the territory.
Putin’s long-standing position is that Ukraine should withdraw from the four regions that have been fully or partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye – and abandon its aspirations to join NATO.
Moscow considers all of these areas to be its own, and in September 2022, a few months after the start of the war, Putin declared them independent Russian territories, although the Russian army and pro-Russian forces do not fully control everything.
Since the beginning of the war, in February 2022, Russia and pro-Russian forces control about 20 percent of the entire Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Putin previously said that Russia will “by grace or force” to take the entire large eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass, which includes Donetsk and Lugansk).
Zelensky has so far dismissed the possibility of ceding some territory, saying it would encourage Russia to invade again, as it did in 2022 when it launched the war.
Ceasefire talks have stalled in recent months, and previous peace talks in Geneva, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul have failed to produce results.
‘I care about your soldiers, but I care about our people’: Zelenski
“It’s not that we in Ukraine are worried about the fate of Russian soldiers after everything your war has brought to our country.”
“But I worry about Ukrainians. We are losing our people and every loss is painful for us,” Zelensky wrote in a letter of more than 1,800 words.
Zelensky said Russians were tired of Ukraine’s drone and missile attacks, gasoline shortages and rising prices, as well as the war.
“Do not be afraid to choose a way out of this war. That is the main thing that is being asked of you now,” Zelensky implored in the letter, addressing the people of Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiha said that “this open letter is a serious and significant proposal to end the war.”
“We expect a significant response to this proposal. It is time to end this war. It is time to choose peace,” he added.
The Ukrainian president’s letter arrived on the same day that Putin was in St. Petersburg, where a major economic forum is being held.
The previous day, Kiev attacked the outskirts of Russia’s second largest city with a drone, and Zelensky referred to the attack as a “visit” in the letter.
On the same day, in the Ukrainian attack a passenger bus on the route Moscow – Crimea was hitand eight people died.
A day later, pro-Russian authorities in Crimea they blamed Ukraine for the death of four people in the attack on Simferopol.
Ukraine claimed to have hit a fuel depot.
During a press conference on June 4, Putin appeared to immediately express doubt that a meeting or deal could ever take place.
“Whether or not Mr. Zelensky is a legitimate representative of Ukraine is a question for lawyers, for legal analysis,” he said.
Trump said he believes the US was instrumental in bringing the two countries closer to peace.
“I think it would be great if they met. They should. They should,” he said.
Asked about the compromises the two sides would have to make, he said he would “prefer not to talk about it.”
“I want each of them to make certain compromises, and I think they will,” the US president added.
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