Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointedly rejected a proposal by Volodymyr Zelensky for a face-to-face negotiation on the conflict, in a signal that he’s choosing war again.
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin described Zelensky’s open letter proposing the meeting as ‘boorish’ and said the Ukrainian leader’s actions had made any personal talks impossible.
Thursday’s letter, the first public message Zelensky has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, was a sweeping critique of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power.
Responding after Putin rejected the meeting, Zelensky said: ‘Unfortunately, the Russian side is choosing war again – everyone heard today’s response.
A weak response. He simply doesn’t want to end the war’.
‘Is it a way to create conditions for personal meetings and talks, or create an environment which makes any personal meetings impossible?’
Putin said.’I think it’s the second.’ He said that he sees ‘no point’ in the meeting.
Zelensky acknowledged shifting US priorities, saying it would be wrong to simply wait for the Trump administration to return its attention to ending the fighting in Ukraine while it remains heavily focused on the Iran war.
