Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for face-to-face war negotiations in an open letter to his Russian counterpart.
On Thursday, June 4th Vladimir Putin was invited to meet Zelensky face-to-face in a neutral country, such as Switzerland, Turkey, or one of the Gulf Arab states,
U.S. president Donald Trump has noted the initiative, hoping both sides “make compromises.” It coincides with a complicated shift in the war, with Ukraine launching long-range attacks into Russia, striking Putin’s home town Saint Petersburg on the eve of the International Economic Forum there.
Zelensky used the letter to criticise Putin’s 26 years in power and present his own country as being in an increasingly strong position within the conflict, not least in its ratio of battlefield losses. He also accused Putin of trying to drag Belarus deeper into the war.
Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov noted that Putin now knows of the message and invited Zelensky to come to Moscow if he wants peace talks.
