Volodymyr Zelensky, just hours after Putin said he was ready for an agreement, picked up the gauntlet and called on him to meet.
In a significant move, Volodymyr Zelensky responded only hours after Vladimir Putin said he was ready for talks with Ukraine, sending the Russian president an open letter.
In it, he calls on Putin to meet, proposing direct talks aimed at ending the war. In the letter, which was released by the official page of the Ukrainian Republic, Zelensky reminds his counterpart that, despite the positive image Ukrainian public opinion had of him when he came to power 26 years ago, the reality today has changed.
In the letter, he highlights the shift of military operations onto Russian territory. Recent long-range drone strikes during the economic forum in St. Petersburg, more than 1,000 kilometers from the border, are presented as proof that security inside Russia has been shaken. At the same time, the letter describes growing domestic dissatisfaction among Russian citizens, who are facing fuel shortages, price increases and the prospect of a new wave of mobilization.
On the military front, the letter cites figures for Russian losses on the battlefield during May, which, according to Kyiv, exceeded 30,000 dead and seriously wounded. According to the Ukrainian side, which says it has visual material for each case, 63% of these losses were deaths and 37% were injuries. At the same time, the letter points to delays in the timetable for the capture of the Donetsk region.
The Proposal for a Meeting
The letter also refers to Russia’s international position, portraying it as economically dependent on China and militarily dependent on North Korea, while also mentioning the anniversary of the June 23 mutiny.
In practical terms, Ukraine is putting forward a proposal for an immediate bilateral meeting on neutral ground, such as Switzerland, Turkey or countries in the Arab world, excluding Moscow and Kyiv. The goal is to bypass the intermediary procedures that led to the failure of the Minsk agreements.
The Terms and Guarantors of the Agreement
The proposal foresees the participation of the United States and Europe as guarantors of a new security architecture. As preconditions for the start of dialogue, Ukraine says it is ready for a full cease-fire under U.S. supervision, a full prisoner exchange — “all for all” — and the return of displaced civilians and children.
The message concludes by stating that if Moscow rejects the diplomatic path, Ukraine will continue to fight with the support of its allies, relying on the historical fatigue that the prolongation of conflicts inevitably produces.
