Zelensky proposes Putin meeting, ceasefire

June 5, 2026

Summary

Zelensky urged Putin to meet for direct talks and said Ukraine was ready for a full ceasefire during negotiations.

Why this matters

The exchange showed that both sides were still publicly discussing possible talks, even as fighting continued and previous U.S.-led efforts failed to produce a deal. It also highlighted the central disputes over territory, leadership legitimacy, and conditions for any ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter published Thursday, saying Ukraine was also ready for a “full ceasefire” during talks.

“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky said in the letter. “I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting.”

“Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations,” he added.

The Kremlin said Putin had not yet been shown the letter, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelensky could come to Moscow “any time,” according to state media. Zelensky had already ruled out that option in his letter.

The appeal came a day after Ukrainian drones struck St. Petersburg, Putin’s home city, as it hosted the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

President Donald Trump said it would be “great” if Zelensky and Putin met, while adding that both sides would have to make compromises.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region, including areas still controlled by Kyiv, as a condition for peace talks.

Speaking to foreign journalists in St. Petersburg before Zelensky published the letter, Putin again questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy after his five-year term expired in 2024. Martial law bars elections during wartime in Ukraine, and Zelensky has said he would hold a vote or referendum on a final peace deal if a full ceasefire were in place.

Putin has said he would meet Zelensky only to finalize an agreement already reached.

In the letter, Zelensky said Ukraine would keep fighting if Russia did not move to end the war: “If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence.”

Putin also said Thursday that Russian forces were “advancing along the entire line of contact” and that Russia was “absolutely ready and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means.” He added that Russia needed to strengthen its air defense after the drone strikes in St. Petersburg.

Recent data showed Ukraine regained ground for a second straight month in May.

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