Key facts
- Putin rejected Zelensky's proposal for a face-to-face meeting.
- Putin cited 'rude remarks' in Zelensky's proposal as the reason for rejection.
- Putin suggested experts should develop solutions before a meeting.
- Putin indicated Ukrainian battlefield advances must cease for a meeting.
- A college dormitory bombing in Lugansk killed 21 people following an envoy's visit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that he currently sees no reason to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This comes after Zelensky published an open letter proposing face-to-face talks to end the war, which is now in its fifth year. Putin described the letter as insincere and containing 'rude remarks,' suggesting that experts should work on solutions before any meeting could take place. He also noted that Ukrainian advances on the battlefield would need to halt. The conflict has become a war of attrition, with Russia controlling about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. Both sides accuse each other of refusing to compromise. Putin also revealed that he sent an informal envoy to Ukraine last month at Kyiv's request, but this was followed by a bombing of a college dormitory in Lugansk that killed 21 people, mostly teenage girls, which the Kremlin called a 'terrorist act.' Putin made these remarks at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), where he also contrasted Russia's current self-sufficiency with its past dependence on Western institutions. He appeared alongside Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.