©picture alliance / ROPI | POU
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted an open letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his website on Thursday evening. President Zelensky asks Putin for a complete ceasefire and peace negotiations. "The choice is yours now. Enough war. Ukraine proposes to end this war."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a direct meeting to end the war Russia started more than four years ago. In an open letter, Zelensky emphasizes the heavy toll of the conflict on both countries, but especially on Ukraine. He points to the large numbers of casualties and stresses that every loss weighs heavily, regardless of the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian deaths.
According to Zelensky, both sides misjudged the war. Ukraine did not expect Russia to continue for so long, while Putin allegedly underestimated the extent of Ukrainian resistance. Meanwhile, the conflict has grown into a protracted and exhausting war that is entering its fifth year.
Zelensky reaches out
Zelensky calls on Putin to take responsibility and step toward peace. He proposes direct talks and stresses that Europe and the United States must also be involved in the negotiations. According to him, Ukraine is ready for a complete cease-fire during the talks and also wants to exchange all prisoners of war. In his message, Zelensky stated that Putin himself holds the key to ending the war.
The Kremlin responded cautiously. Spokesman Dmitri Peskov announced that Putin was willing to hold talks, but that Zelensky would have to come to Moscow to do so. At the time of publication, Putin had not yet read the letter, as he was attending the economic forum in St. Petersburg.
Nevertheless, Putin was already expressing his views on a possible end to the war. He indicated earlier that his reaction in such a scenario would be simple: relief that it's over.
Reaction also came from the United States. President Donald Trump called a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin "wonderful" and suggested that the US played a role in bringing it about.
©picture alliance / ROPI | POU