Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sent an open letter to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, proposing a face-to-face meeting to reach a deal that would end the war. He named the current front line as the point from which diplomacy should begin.
In the letter, Zelensky called for a firm date to be set and suggested a neutral venue, pointing to countries that have traditionally hosted such talks. He cited Switzerland, Turkey and Arab states as capable and willing hosts.
He ruled out travelling to Moscow and said a visit in the other direction would be equally pointless. “After 26 years, there is nothing a Ukrainian leader can do in his capital, just as there is nothing a Russian leader can do in Kyiv,” he wrote.
Zelensky said Europe should be part of the process, arguing that European countries had the capacity to influence the situation and could serve as guarantors. He also raised the involvement of the United States, suggesting it could help shape a new security architecture for the region.
Kyiv was ready for a full ceasefire during negotiations, Zelensky said, describing it as standard practice. He said current events around Iran only reinforced the case for an attempt at “real silence” as a way to begin talking.
He urged Putin to conclude personally that it was time to end the conflict, warning that otherwise Ukraine would keep fighting for its existence. “It is a fact of Russian history that you know well: when Russia tires, change comes,” he wrote.
Zelensky described the conflict as a “war of personal choice”, noting that Putin had spent almost half of his 26 years in power waging it. He recalled that Putin’s own forces had staged a mutiny in June 2023, when the Wagner paramilitary group turned on the Russian authorities.
The Ukrainian leader claimed Russians were growing less comfortable with the war and its consequences, from drone and missile strikes to fuel shortages and rising prices. He pointed to former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán as an example of how those who chose to help Russia fell from grace.
Zelensky also questioned intelligence reports suggesting Moscow might prolong the war until 2027 or 2028 and draw Belarus further into it. “Enough war. Ukraine proposes to end this war,” he wrote.
