Putin rejects Zelensky meeting proposal, says 'no reason for face-to-face talks'
Speaking at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said a meeting with Zelensky would serve little purpose at this stage and suggested that negotiations should first be advanced by experts working on possible solutions.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsRussian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed, for now, the possibility of holding direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he sees “no reason” for a face-to-face meeting while the conflict continues. Speaking at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said a meeting with Zelensky would serve little purpose at this stage and suggested that negotiations should first be advanced by experts working on possible solutions.
“I don’t see the point of a meeting. It would only be of interest to the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces,” Putin said. He added that it was necessary to “let specialists work, develop solutions, and then we can meet”, arguing that any meeting before a peace agreement is reached would be “useless”.
Putin confirmed that he had read an open letter from Zelensky proposing direct talks aimed at ending the war, but said he had only managed to give it a brief review.
“Spokesman Peskov showed me this letter yesterday. But we had a working meeting, a working dinner with the President of Uzbekistan (Shavkat Mirziyoyev). Frankly, I didn’t have time to look at it. This morning, Peskov passed it to me again. I gave it a quick look, but I read it nonetheless,” Putin said, according to Russian media reports.
The Russian leader also criticised the tone of the letter, claiming it contained “elements of rudeness”.
“Is it a way to create conditions for a meeting and negotiations, or to create a context in which any meeting becomes impossible? I believe it is the second option,” he said.
Putin reiterated that Russia remained committed to achieving its military objectives, while expressing confidence that the conflict would eventually come to an end.
“Military actions will end sooner or later; we are convinced of that. Without a doubt, they will end once the objectives we have set for ourselves are achieved,” he said.
In his letter, Zelensky urged direct engagement between the two leaders as a route towards ending the war.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us, and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky wrote.
He also warned against allowing international attention to drift away from the conflict, saying: “It would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the centre of its attention.”
Zelensky suggested that talks could be hosted by Switzerland, Turkey or countries in the Arab world as part of efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the war.
(With IANS inputs)