Ukrainian President Zelensky on the 4th publicly addressed Russian President Putin, proposing a face-to-face meeting in a third country to end the conflict.
In an open letter published on the Ukrainian presidential website, he said that currently, the United States is focused on the Iran issue, and it is not appropriate to wait for this war in Europe to once again become a focal point for the U.S. The Ukrainian side proposes that the leaders of the two countries hold a meeting to end the conflict and set a date for it.
He stated that it would be inappropriate for the Ukrainian and Russian leaders to meet in the Russian capital Moscow or the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, but meetings could be held in Switzerland, Turkey, or Arab countries, as these countries have traditions of hosting foreign leaders to resolve issues of war and peace.
He pointed out that, for Ukraine and Europe, the outcome of the Anchorage meeting between the U.S. and Russian leaders in August last year is not set in stone. As security guarantors, Europe and the United States should also participate in the Russia-Ukraine negotiation process.
Zelensky stated that the Ukrainian side is prepared to implement a comprehensive ceasefire during negotiations, and that the U.S. has the capability to monitor the ceasefire. A comprehensive prisoner exchange between the two sides could be a good start for ending the conflict. However, if Putin does not believe it is time to end the conflict, Ukraine will continue to fight for survival.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov responded that the Kremlin has already seen Zelensky's open letter and will report to Putin later.
He stated that if Zelensky wants to negotiate, he is welcome to come to Moscow at any time.
Earlier that day, Putin met in St. Petersburg with heads of major world news agencies attending the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and said that Russia is fully prepared and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means, based on the Anchorage meeting.
Putin said that Russia agrees to make compromises on the Ukraine issue according to the plan reached at the Anchorage meeting, but the premise is that Ukraine is also prepared to do so.
According to Russian news agency reports, after Zelensky published his open letter to Putin, sources from Switzerland and Turkey revealed that both countries are willing to host a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.