Russian President Vladimir Putin has read an open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposing direct talks to end the war….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Russian President Vladimir Putin has received and read an open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposing direct negotiations to end the war, the Kremlin said on Friday.
The disclosure was made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during an interview with Izvestia on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.
In the letter, Zelensky called for direct engagement between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, arguing that diplomacy offered the best path towards ending the conflict.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us, and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky wrote.
The Ukrainian president said it would be a mistake to wait for the war to once again become the central focus of international attention and urged efforts to move towards a negotiated settlement.
Zelensky suggested that countries including Switzerland, Turkey and members of the Arab world could host the proposed talks. He added that several nations were both willing and capable of facilitating such a meeting and called for a clear date to be agreed.
He also proposed a full ceasefire during the course of negotiations.
“Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. This is standard practice, and current developments around Iran only reinforce that point,” Zelensky said.
“An attempt to establish real silence is the best way to begin talking to one another. We believe it would not simply be an attempt, but a real ceasefire, if that is what you want,” he added.
Peskov said Putin had been briefed not only on the contents of the letter but also on the reactions it had generated among international leaders.
The Kremlin spokesman stressed that Russia remained interested in resuming negotiations despite the current lack of direct progress.
“We still hope that the current pause will eventually be broken. And some contacts will be initiated. Especially since we continue to communicate with the Americans through existing channels,” Peskov said.
He added that Putin remained open to dialogue with Western countries and suggested that any future contacts would depend on the willingness of European leaders to engage with Moscow.
“We are not the initiators of this silence. Putin is open to dialogue. Therefore, if Europeans abandon their paradigm of non communication with Russia, they just need to pick up the phone and dial the number,” Peskov said.
However, he cautioned that the conflict in Ukraine remained highly complex and would not be resolved quickly.
The comments come amid continuing diplomatic efforts by various international actors to explore possible avenues for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, although significant differences between the two sides remain unresolved.
Russia and Ukraine have held intermittent contacts since the conflict began, but no breakthrough has been achieved, with both sides maintaining sharply differing positions on the terms required for a lasting settlement.
