Zelenskyy Sends Open Letter to Putin Proposing Direct Peace Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reportedly proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a rare open letter published on Friday. The bold move came shortly after the Kremlin leader acknowledged that Moscow needs to strengthen its air defences amid intensified attacks from Ukraine. The letter contains an invitation for peace negotiations, issued after former United States President Donald Trump consistently pushed both parties to end the conflict. “Ukraine proposes to end this war through direct engagement between you and me. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy wrote in the open letter. The Kremlin stated that Putin had not yet been shown the letter directly but added that Zelenskyy could meet Putin in Moscow at any time, a suggestion the Ukrainian leader had categorically rejected in his letter. “Zelenskyy can come to Moscow at any time,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by state media after the letter was published. Zelenskyy issued the letter a day after Ukrainian drones struck Saint Petersburg, coinciding with Putin’s hometown hosting an international economic forum this week. The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly called for a meeting with the former KGB spy, believing only face-to-face talks will yield an agreement on territory. Trump, who faced criticism for berating Zelenskyy at the White House last year but recently invited Putin to a summit in Alaska, expressed delight at the potential meeting. “I think we have a lot at stake in this. I think it would be great if they met. They have to sort it out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Months of US-led negotiations have so far failed to bring the parties closer to a deal, especially as Trump’s attention has been largely consumed by the Iran war launched by the United States and Israel over three months ago. “They will both compromise, I am suggesting that compromise, and you know, we have a lot at stake in that,” Trump added without detailing the suggested compromise. Russia, which launched its invasion in 2022, has demanded Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region, largely still controlled by Kyiv’s forces, as a precondition for peace talks. Before Zelenskyy’s appeal was published, Putin again questioned the Ukrainian leader’s legitimacy before foreign journalists in Saint Petersburg as his first five-year term expired in 2024. Martial law in Ukraine prohibits elections during wartime, but Zelenskyy has offered to hold a vote or referendum on a final peace deal if a full ceasefire is implemented. Putin insists he will only meet Zelenskyy to finalise a previously agreed deal and rejects meetings before that is achieved. Ukraine has continued intensifying its long-range counter-attacks on Russian energy and military targets in response to nightly barrages by Russian forces. “If you personally do not conclude that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence,” Zelenskyy asserted in his letter. On Thursday, Putin praised his troops’ battlefield achievements amid Ukraine’s growing confidence, denying that Russia’s offensive has been a strategic disaster. “We are fully ready and willing to reach a deal with Ukraine through peaceful means,” Putin said. Nevertheless, data shows the pace of Russia’s advance has slowed since late 2025, and Ukraine recaptured more territory than it lost to Russian forces in May for the second consecutive month. Putin ultimately acknowledged Russia needs to upgrade its air defence systems after Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and naval base in Saint Petersburg just as the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum opened. “Russia has air defence systems. Yes, we must improve them. Yes, we must strengthen them. And we will,” Putin concluded.