Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for direct face-to-face negotiations with Vladimir Putin in a public letter, urging the Russian leader to “stop your war”. It is the first time the Ukrainian president has written publicly to Putin since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The letter criticised Putin’s 26 years in power and proposed a meeting in a neutral third country, ruling out Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy suggested Switzerland, Turkey, or Arab states as potential hosts, saying: “It is leaders who resolve the key issues… I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting.”
The appeal came as Ukraine has regained battlefield leverage through improved long-range strike capabilities, while Russia has intensified its aerial campaign. Putin acknowledged Ukrainian drone attacks had broken through defences, saying: “To our regret, some of them break through… Russia has an air defence system, we need to improve it, strengthen it, and we will do that.” He spoke at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, where a Ukrainian drone attack had set an oil terminal ablaze.
Putin indicated Russia was open to compromise in line with understandings reached at his summit with Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska. Trump welcomed the prospect of a meeting, saying: “I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting… It would be great if they met… They’re going to both make compromises, I suggested those compromises.” Zelenskyy had acknowledged shifting US priorities, saying it would be wrong to simply wait for the Trump administration while it remained focused on the Iran war.
Separately, the House of Representatives passed legislation to aid Ukraine and sanction Russia, overriding objections from Republican leaders. The bill, which would provide more than $1bn in security and reconstruction aid and make $8bn available through loans, passed 226-195. Its fate in the Senate remains uncertain.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin was aware of the letter but had not yet familiarised himself with its contents, repeating that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow for talks. In the letter, Zelenskyy alleged Russian plans to prolong the war into 2027-2028 and accused Moscow of seeking to draw Belarus deeper and destabilise Transnistria.
