Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly called for face-to-face negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter, the first such direct appeal since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Zelenskyy proposed that the meeting take place in a neutral third country, suggesting Switzerland, Turkey or Arab states as possible hosts, and ruled out Moscow and Kyiv as venues.
In the letter, Zelenskyy issued a sweeping criticism of Putin's 26 years in power and acknowledged shifting US priorities, saying it would be wrong to simply wait for the Trump administration to return its attention to ending the war while it remained focused on Iran. Trump said on Thursday he would welcome a meeting between the two leaders but insisted both sides must make compromises, without offering further details.
Ukraine has regained some battlefield leverage through improved long-range strike capabilities, complicating Russian advances, while Moscow has intensified its deadly aerial campaign. Putin, speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks and said Russia would strengthen its air defences. A Ukrainian drone strike had set ablaze an oil terminal in the city and hit a nearby naval base hours before the forum opened.
Putin said Russia was open to a compromise on Ukraine in line with understandings reached during his summit with Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, and that Ukraine needed to accept them to end the conflict. Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives passed legislation providing over $1bn in security and reconstruction aid for Ukraine, with another $8bn available through loans, overriding objections from Republican leaders.
Zelenskyy warned that Russian intelligence indicated plans to prolong the war into 2027 and 2028, relying increasingly on ballistic missile strikes. He also accused Moscow of seeking to draw Belarus deeper into the conflict and destabilise the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was aware of the message but had not yet studied its contents in detail, and reiterated that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow if he wanted talks.
