Zelensky's Rare Open Letter Invites Putin to Meet, Proposes Full Ceasefire

In a rare move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting a meeting. According to AFP, the letter was dispatched on Thursday, 4 June 2026 local time, with Zelensky proposing to end the war. “Ukraine proposes to end this war through direct engagement between us and you. I propose a meeting,” Zelensky stated in the letter. Zelensky added that he is prepared for a full ceasefire while negotiations are underway. “Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire while negotiations take place,” he said. US President Donald Trump welcomed Zelensky’s proposal for a direct meeting with Putin. Trump assessed that a meeting between the two leaders would be a positive step. “I am glad they might be talking about a meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Trump said in the Oval Office, as quoted by AFP. He believes direct dialogue between Zelensky and Putin could help accelerate the resolution of a conflict that has lasted for years. “I think it would be great if they meet. They have to work it out,” he remarked. Trump also emphasised that peace can only be achieved if both sides are willing to make compromises. He claimed the United States has played an active role in pushing for this process. “They are both going to make compromises, I suggested the compromises, and you know, we have been heavily involved in it,” Trump said without elaborating on the form of the compromise. The diplomatic development came after a massive Russian attack on Ukraine. As reported by AFP and Reuters on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, hundreds of Russian drones and dozens of missiles struck Ukraine. The large-scale attack was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force, which said Russia deployed more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles, including ballistic missiles that are difficult to intercept. In a statement via Telegram on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Air Force said it detected 656 drones and 73 missiles launched by Russian military forces overnight. Kyiv said 602 of the drones and 40 of the missiles were shot down or disabled by Ukrainian air defence forces. A Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson further stated that the wave of Moscow’s air strikes also involved eight Zircon hypersonic missiles—likely the largest deployment of hypersonic missiles by Russia in the four-year war. Moscow claims the Zircon hypersonic missile has a range of up to 1,000 kilometres and can fly at nine times the speed of sound. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces launched a “massive strike” on Ukraine’s defence industrial facilities using high-precision long-range weapons. Reports from Ukrainian authorities indicated that at least 11 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in the barrage of Russian missile and drone strikes targeting several cities, including the capital Kyiv, by early Tuesday morning.