Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin in a rare open letter to the Russian leader on Thursday night.
The mission came shortly after the Kremlin chief admitted Moscow needed to bolster its air defenses after a spate of Ukrainian attacks.
Donald Trump, the US president who has pushed both sides to end the conflict and boasted he could end the war within a day of taking office, said a face-to-face Putin-Zelenskyy meeting would be “great” – but pushed both sides to compromise.
The Kremlin said Putin had not yet been shown the letter, but that Zelenskyy could meet Putin in Moscow “at any time” – a proposal the Ukrainian leader ruled out in advance in his letter.
“Ukraine proposes to end this war through direct engagement between us and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy said in the letter.
“I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting,” he said.
“Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations,” he added.
Zelenskyy released the letter a day after Ukrainian drones struck St Petersburg, as Putin’s home city hosted a major international economic forum this week.
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly called for a meeting with the former KGB spy, saying only face-to-face talks will bring a deal on the territory.
Direct addresses from Zelenskyy to the Russian leader are rare.
“I suggested those compromises”
Trump, who has faced criticism for insulting Zelenskyy at the White House last year on the one hand while inviting Putin to a summit in Alaska on the other, said he was “pleased that they’re maybe talking about meeting.”
“I think we had a lot to do with it,” he told reporters in the Oval Office – the scene of his clash with the Ukrainian leader.
“I think it would be great if they met. They should do it.”
Months of US-led negotiations have failed to bring the sides closer to a deal, with Trump’s attention largely absorbed by the Iran war that the United States and Israel began more than three months ago.
“They’re both going to make compromises, I suggested those compromises, and you know, we’ve had a lot to do with it,” Trump said of Ukraine and Russia, without specifying.
Russia, which invaded in 2022, has asked Ukraine to withdraw from its eastern Donbas region – large parts of which are still controlled by Kiev’s military – as a precondition for peace talks.
Speaking to foreign journalists, including AFP, in St Petersburg shortly before Zelenskyy’s appeal was published, Putin repeated his frequent questioning of the Ukrainian leader’s legitimacy.
He said the question of whether Zelenskyy was Ukraine’s legitimate leader needed “analysis” as his initial five-year term expired in 2024.
Martial law prohibits wartime elections in Ukraine, and Zelenskyy has offered to hold a vote or referendum on a final peace deal if there is a full ceasefire.
Putin has said he would only meet with Zelensky to finalize an already agreed deal, rejecting calls to meet before then.
“Zelenskyy can come to Moscow at any time,” state media quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying after the letter was published.
“Strengthening” air defense
Ukraine has stepped up its long-range retaliatory strikes on Russian energy and military targets in recent months – she calls the attacks a just response to nighttime barrages by the Russian military.
“Unless you personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence,” Zelenskyy said in the letter.
Putin on Thursday hailed the achievements of his forces on the battlefield in the face of growing confidence in Ukraine.
Asked whether Russia’s offensive against Ukraine had turned into a “strategic disaster”, Putin said Russia was “advancing along the entire contact line”.
“We are absolutely ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means,” he added.
The pace of Russia’s advance has slowed since the end of 2025, and the latest data shows that Ukraine has regained ground against Russia.
Ukraine regained more territory than it lost to Russian forces in May for the second consecutive month, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Putin also acknowledged that Russia needs to improve its air defense systems, speaking a day after Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and a naval base in St Petersburg, just as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) – dubbed the Russian Davos – opened.
“Russia has an air defense system. Yes, we need to improve it. Yes, we need to strengthen it. And we will do that,” the Russian leader said.
(w)
