Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has rejected a direct meeting offered in an open letter by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I don’t see any point in it yet,” said the Kremlin chief at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. Before such a summit, agreements would first have to be made for a lasting solution to the war that has been going on since 2022. The letter published by Kiev the day before also contained “elements of impudence,” Putin said.
The best response to the letter is a call to the Russian military: “Get to work, brothers!” The whole country is watching the Russian army. At the same time, Putin declared that he would stick to the war goals he had set. “We have set ourselves the goal of liberating Donbass. There is no doubt – we will achieve this,” the Kremlin chief emphasized. The Luhansk region has been completely under Russian control since the beginning of April. In the neighboring Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops control “less than 15 percent.” The Ukrainian military has already denied the figures given by Putin.
The day before, Zelensky Putin had offered direct peace talks in a third country to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. In the letter, the 48-year-old alluded, among other things, to the advanced age of the 73-year-old Kremlin chief and emphasized recent Ukrainian successes in drone strikes on targets in the Russian hinterland. However, the personal meeting is necessary to clarify “key questions”.
The federal government welcomed Zelenskyj’s offer. “We also share President Zelenskyj’s view that representatives from Europe and the United States should also be involved in talks with Russia,” said deputy government spokesman Sebastian Hille.
Putin is confident of victory
At the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Putin was confident of victory. The Ukrainian counterpart in particular has problems, he said in a press conference for foreign news agencies, including the German Press Agency.
However, many Russians expect that Putin will show solutions to the pent-up problems in his own country from his speech in front of a large audience. At the event he traditionally answers questions that may also revolve around the Ukraine war. In the fifth year of the war, Russia is confronted with a slump in growth and ongoing Western sanctions. Nevertheless, the Kremlin wants to demonstrate economic strength at the forum.
Trump would like meetings between Zelensky and Putin
It is clear that Putin will not travel to Kiev for peace talks – if at all – any more than Zelensky will travel to Moscow. That’s why the Ukrainian mentioned Switzerland, Turkey or one of the Arab states as alternatives.
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House about the letter that he would like it if there was a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
The Russian side did not respond to the content of the letter. Putin said shortly before the letter was published that “we are undoubtedly ready to reach an agreement with Ukraine.” However, the Kremlin chief emphasized that the basis for this was the Anchorage agreements. US President Trump met him in the city in Alaska last summer. However, no concrete results or agreements were announced afterwards.
Russia insists on full control over Donbass
Putin said his demand for full Russian control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a condition of peace does not contradict the postulated willingness to engage in dialogue. According to his account, the Russian army is attacking on the entire front, while Ukraine lacks soldiers. On the battlefield, Russia’s military has the upper hand and is constantly making territorial gains, he continued.
The figure he gave for this, of 2,440 square kilometers gained, is significantly higher than Kiev’s figures. According to calculations by Ukrainian military observers close to the government, the Russian army has conquered almost 700 square kilometers at a decreasing pace since the beginning of the year.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression with Western help for more than four years.
