Zelensky Proposes Face-To-Face Meeting With Putin as Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov Offers Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter posted Thursday, urging an end to the countries’ four-year war and calling for “direct engagement between us — and you.”

Zelensky wrote that “Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” while the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Zelensky could meet Putin in Moscow “any time.”

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Putin rebuffed the call, telling a panel discussion that “The only point is for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces, that’s it,” and adding that he saw “no point” in meeting now.

The exchange unfolded as Putin prepared to address the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, with Zelensky also warning that Putin “regularly” postpones deadlines to capture Ukrainian regions, specifically Donetsk.

CNN reported that Zelensky urged Putin to end the war as the Russian leader was preparing to speak at the forum, while Putin dismissed the letter as “rude” and voiced skepticism about Zelensky’s true intentions.

Zelensky framed the proposal as time-sensitive diplomacy, telling Putin that “We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran,” and warning it would be wrong to “simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention.”

In the same letter, Zelensky insisted that “Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations,” and he urged Putin to set a clear date for a meeting.

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Putin, speaking to foreign journalists in St. Petersburg just before Zelensky’s appeal was published, said the question of whether Zelensky was Ukraine’s legitimate leader needed “analysis,” after his initial five-year term expired in 2024.

US President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office that it would be “great” if the two leaders met, adding “They should. To get it done,” while also saying both sides would have to make compromises.

France 24 reported that the Kremlin said Putin had not yet been shown the letter, but that Zelensky could meet Putin in Moscow “any time,” a proposal Zelensky preemptively ruled out in his letter.

Zelensky’s open letter tied any talks to concrete steps, saying “Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations,” and describing the front line as “the line from which diplomacy must begin.”

He also proposed an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange and called for the return of civilians and children taken during the conflict, while warning that if Putin did not accept the conclusion “Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence.”

Putin, for his part, told editors of news agencies in St. Petersburg that pieces of Trump’s proposals “may well be the basis for peace agreements,” but said they required “compromises” for both sides.

In the same St. Petersburg remarks, Putin claimed Russia was “advancing along the entire line of contact” and said the “offensive is ongoing on a daily basis,” while also asserting that Russia had “full control” of the Luhansk People’s Republic and over 85% of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

The stakes described across the coverage centered on whether negotiations could produce a ceasefire and a settlement that ends the war, with Zelensky warning Putin that “when Russia grows tired, change comes,” and Putin insisting the Ukrainian side must stop the advance of Russian armed forces before talks could proceed.