Zelensky calls for face-to-face meeting in open letter to Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Vladimir Putin on Thursday proposing the two leaders meet in person and negotiate a peace agreement.

Zelensky said such a meeting could be held in one of the “countries that have traditionally hosted leaders to resolve issues of war and peace”, such as Switzerland, Türkiye, or an Arab country. He added that the U.S. and European countries could be a part of the process.

He stressed that Ukraine is prepared to declare a full ceasefire during the negotiations, and that it could be monitored by the U.S. He also called for an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange, as well as the return of civilians and children whom Russia has taken during the war.

Zelensky noted that on Wednesday, the opening day of the high-profile St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Ukrainian drones attacked St. Petersburg, having travelled more than 1,000 kilometres. “As you know very well, that distance is not the limit of our capabilities,” he wrote.

According to Zelensky, in May the Russian army lost more than 30,000 troops, 63 percent of whom were killed and 37 of whom were injured. He described the ratio of Ukrainian losses to Russian losses as “one to five or one to six”. He also stated that Russian troops would not capture the entire Donbas “this year either”.

The Ukrainian president pointed out that Putin is the first Russian ruler to have appealed to North Korea for help and to make the country “fully dependent on China”.

Additionally, he said that Ukraine has seen intelligence reports indicating that Putin plans to continue the war for at least two more years, to draw Belarus further into it, and to “orchestrate something around Transnistria”.

“Do not be afraid to take the path out of this war,” Zelensky wrote. “That is the main thing that is required of you now.”

On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin had been informed about Zelensky’s letter.