Putin says he currently sees no reason to meet Ukraine's Zelenskiy

Updated 05 Jun, 2026 08:52pm 1 min read
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Constantine Palace in Strelna in a suburb of Saint Petersburg, Russia. -- Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Constantine Palace in Strelna in a suburb of Saint Petersburg, Russia. -- Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on ​Friday he currently saw no reason to meet Volodymyr Zelensky ‌after the Ukrainian president published an open letter proposing they hold face-to-face talks to agree on an end to the war.

The Kremlin chief ​said Zelensky’s letter was rude in parts and ​did not come across as a sincere offer to ⁠hold talks.

“This letter contains some rather rude remarks. ​Was it a way to create the conditions for ​a face-to-face meeting or a way not to set up a face-to-face meeting? I think it was the second,” said Putin.

Asked ​on stage at Russia’s annual economic forum whether ​he would meet the Ukrainian leader, Putin said: “I don’t see any ‌point ⁠for now.”

In a meeting with international media a day earlier, Putin stuck to his hardline stance on the war and said his troops were advancing on the ​battlefield every ​day. But ⁠he also said US President Donald Trump’s proposals for peace could end the fighting ​if Kyiv were ready to compromise. Both ​sides ⁠accuse the other of refusing to compromise.

Earlier on Friday, Russian nationalists dismissed Zelensky’s letter as a malicious public relations ⁠stunt ​designed to stir up discontent ​inside Russia rather than end the war.

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