Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed peace talks to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a rare and combative open letter on Thursday, as efforts to end more than four years of war gained momentum.
"Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations," Zelenskyy wrote. "We in Ukraine do not want a permanent war. We know very well that life without war is infinitely better. And we want to achieve that."
European Powers Push for Dialogue
The appeal came as officials from Europe's three biggest economies — Germany, France and the U.K. — have been discussing the possibility of holding talks involving Russia and Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. They have also talked about the matter with their Ukrainian counterparts, the people said.
With U.S.-led peace talks stalled and Russian forces suffering mounting losses amid a stalemate on the battlefield, the three nations see an opportunity to potentially bring Putin to the negotiating table, the people said. Adding to the pressure on the Kremlin, Ukrainian forces have had increasing success with drone strikes deep inside Russia and there are some signs of resistance to Putin's war at the highest levels in Moscow.
Zelenskyy's Letter Aims to Pressure Putin
Zelenskyy's letter aims to increase public pressure on the Russian leader, a person close to the Ukrainian president said, asking not to be identified discussing matters that aren't public.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the Ukrainian initiative. "I'm glad that they're maybe talking about meeting, I think we had a lot to do with it," Trump said when asked about the letter by a reporter Thursday in the Oval Office. "But I think it would be great if they met, they should get it done."
Putin's Response and Conditions
Putin has not yet had an opportunity to read Zelenskyy's letter, but would be briefed on it later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Tass. If Zelenskyy wants to meet Putin, he can come to Moscow, he said.
In the letter, Zelenskyy said any meeting should take place in a third country, rejecting Moscow as a venue. He cited Switzerland, Turkey or Arab countries as possible options.
Putin has repeatedly said he is prepared to meet Zelenskyy in Moscow or elsewhere, but only at the final stage of peace negotiations to sign an agreement rather than conduct substantive talks. Putin has also rejected all calls for a truce while peace talks take place, arguing that a ceasefire would be used to rearm Ukraine and improve its defences.
Alex Kokcharov, geoeconomics analyst at Bloomberg Economics, said that while the letter raises the chances talks will resume, a peace deal in the next six months remains unlikely.
