Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in direct, face-to-face talks, marking the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that he has addressed Putin in an open letter.
In the letter, Zelenskyy delivered a broad critique of Putin’s 26 years in power while urging him to meet personally to discuss ending the war. He acknowledged that global attention, particularly from the United States, has shifted toward other conflicts, including tensions involving Iran, and argued that Ukraine could not afford to simply wait for Washington to refocus on the war.
“I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy wrote, stressing that major conflicts are ultimately resolved by leaders sitting down together and making decisions.
The proposal comes at a significant moment in the conflict. Ukraine has recently improved its long-range strike capabilities, allowing it to target military and infrastructure sites deep inside Russia. These operations have complicated Russia’s military advances. At the same time, Moscow has intensified its aerial attacks across Ukraine, taking advantage of Kyiv’s continuing shortages of air defence systems and its vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes.
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, President Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian drone attacks have caused damage inside Russia. He admitted that some drones had penetrated Russian air defences and said Moscow would strengthen and modernise its defensive systems in response.
The forum itself was disrupted by Ukrainian strikes. Hours before the event opened, a drone attack reportedly set fire to an oil terminal in St Petersburg and struck a nearby naval facility, casting a shadow over one of Russia’s most important annual economic events.
Putin also stated that Russia remained open to a compromise settlement based on understandings reached during discussions with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska. He argued that Ukraine would need to accept those terms for any peace agreement to be possible.
Trump welcomed the prospect of a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, describing it as a positive development. He said both sides would need to make compromises but did not elaborate on what those compromises might involve.
Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives approved legislation aimed at supporting Ukraine and imposing additional sanctions on key sectors of the Russian economy. The bill, which passed by a vote of 226 to 195, would provide more than $1 billion in security and reconstruction assistance while making an additional $8 billion available through defence-related loans. Supporters view the legislation as a sign of growing frustration with the current US approach to the conflict, although its prospects in the Senate remain uncertain.
In his letter, Zelenskyy suggested holding negotiations in a neutral location rather than in either Moscow or Kyiv. He proposed countries such as Switzerland, Turkey, or several Arab states as potential hosts and called for a specific date to be set for the meeting.
Responding to the proposal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin was aware of the message but had not yet reviewed it in detail. He reiterated Moscow’s position that Zelenskyy could travel to Russia if he wished to hold talks.
Zelenskyy also claimed that Ukrainian intelligence believes Russia is preparing for a prolonged conflict that could continue through 2027 and 2028. According to him, Moscow is increasingly relying on ballistic missile attacks to achieve objectives that have not been secured through ground operations.
He further accused Russia of attempting to draw Belarus more deeply into the war and of trying to destabilise Transnistria, the Russia-backed breakaway region of Moldova.
The Ukrainian leader argued that Russia is increasingly feeling the consequences of the conflict. He pointed to repeated drone strikes on Russian territory, economic pressures, fuel shortages, inflation, and the need for continued military mobilisation as evidence that the costs of the war are mounting.
Zelenskyy claimed that more than 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed or seriously wounded in May alone, adding that Ukraine possessed video evidence supporting those figures. He said that while Russia’s losses remain heavy, Ukraine continues to suffer painful casualties as well.
As part of his proposal, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would be willing to implement a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations. He also suggested an all-for-all prisoner exchange as an initial confidence-building measure and called for the return of Ukrainian civilians and children who had been taken into Russian-controlled territory during the war.
Concluding his message, Zelenskyy rejected the idea that international support for Ukraine was fading. Addressing Putin directly, he wrote: “The world has not grown tired of Ukraine, as you long hoped it would. But there is growing fatigue with Russia.”
