Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday he saw no reason to meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy after the Ukrainian president published an open letter proposing they hold face-to-face talks to agree an end to a war now in its fifth year.
In his letter, which was sent to other countries, including the United States, Zelenskiy said the majority of Russians had grown tired of Ukrainian missile and drone attacks, high inflation and fuel shortages, and were ready for peace.
He also suggested that continuing the war could threaten Putin’s position, saying that history had shown that when Russia got tired change followed.
Speaking at an annual economic forum in St Petersburg where some of Russia’s richest businessmen complained about the high interest rates and economic stagnation stemming from the war, Putin said the letter did not come across as a sincere offer to hold talks.
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“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 latter,” said Putin (73).
Asked whether he would meet Zelenskiy, Putin was blunt. “I don’t see the point in meeting; the only point is for the Ukrainian side to halt the advance of our armed forces. But we need agreements – not for six months, not for three months, but for the long term.
“Let the experts get to work and come up with some solutions. After that, we can meet ...” the Russian leader said.
Russian war bloggers have similarly dismissed Zelenskiy’s letter as a malicious public relations stunt designed to stir up discontent inside Russia rather than end the war.
[ Zelenskiy calls for face-to-face talks in open letter to PutinOpens in new window ]
Zelenskiy later said Putin’s rejection of his proposal showed the Kremlin had no wish to end the war.
In a meeting with international media on Thursday, Putin had stuck to his hardline stance on the war and said his troops were advancing on the battlefield. But he also said US president Donald Trump’s proposals for peace could end the fighting if Kyiv was ready to compromise.
The conflict has long turned into a grinding war of attrition in eastern Ukraine, with a high death toll on both sides. Russia only controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory more than four years after Putin’s decision to send in tens of thousands of troops.
Meanwhile, Western sanctions and Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure and other strategic targets have begun to weigh heavily on the country’s economy, strengthening the arguments of some in the business and political elite that a peace deal should be struck.
Ukraine says it will not withdraw its forces from the part of the eastern Donbas region that it still holds and says it will never recognise Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian territory Moscow has seized.
This week, Russia again fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukrainian cities and towns, including Kyiv, killing dozens of people. Ukraine has also stepped up its own strikes inside Russia, including on its oil refineries.
[ Russia is showing signs of weakness in Ukraine. So it hits harderOpens in new window ]
On Friday, Russia accused Ukraine of killing Azerbaijani crew on board two cargo vessels headed for a Russian port, in a drone attack which Baku said had killed at least five of its citizens.
Ukraine said earlier on Friday that its drones had struck five ships in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov, as well as in the coastal waters of Russian-controlled territories. The commander of Ukrainian drone forces said his drones had hit dry cargo ships and a tanker that were involved in “stealing” Ukrainian grain and transferring military cargo and fuel, with the names of the vessels painted over and their radars turned off.
A sea drone self-destructed near an oil terminal in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta on Friday, without causing casualties. Ukraine said Russia jammed the vessel causing it to drift off course.
Romanian president Nicusor Dan blamed Russia and said another three drones had also detonated off the coast. – Reuters
