"Don't be afraid to leave the war." Zelensky wrote an open letter to Putin with an offer to meet and agree on peace

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky wrote an open letter to Vladimir Putin, in which he proposed holding a meeting and agreeing on peace. The message was published on the website of the President of Ukraine.

Conditions. Zelensky proposed organizing a meeting in one of the states that traditionally host Russia and Ukraine - Switzerland, Turkey or Arab countries. According to him, the United States and EU countries can join the negotiations as potential guarantors of security.

Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. According to him, the ceasefire can be monitored by the United States. The President of Ukraine also called for the exchange of prisoners “all for all” and the return of civilians and children taken to Russia.

Zelensky's position. Zelensky recalled that yesterday, on the opening day of SPIEF, Ukrainian drones attacked St. Petersburg, covering a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. He noted that this is “not the limit of possibilities.”

According to Zelensky, in May the Russian army lost more than 30 thousand soldiers, of which 63% were killed, another 37% were wounded. Zelensky estimated the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian losses as “one to five or one to six.” He also said that Russian troops will not capture the entire Donbass.

The President of Ukraine noted that for the first time in its history, Russia turned to the DPRK for help and found itself completely dependent on China. According to Zelensky, Ukrainian intelligence has found out that the Kremlin is considering plans to continue the war in 2027 and 2028, as well as scenarios involving Belarus and Transnistria.

“Don’t be afraid to leave the war - this is the main thing that is needed from you now. Ukraine retains its independence. And it will save. Despite any forecasts,” Zelensky said.

What Putin says. In parallel with this, Putin spoke at a conference at SPIEF, during which he said that the Ukrainian authorities are not ready to make peace “based on the internal political situation.”

According to him, Zelensky’s powers as president of Ukraine ended in May 2024. He emphasized that the issue of elections in Ukraine is important for Russia.

“If we ever get to the point of signing documents, I think that if there is a desire to end the armed conflict peacefully, and Russia has such a desire, we will find those who must sign the corresponding document, if there is a desire,” Putin said.