OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
12:15 PM – Friday, June 5, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet face-to-face to negotiate an end to the years-long Russia-Ukraine war, saying he sees “no point” in a summit.
In an open letter on Thursday, posted in several parts on X, Zelensky blasted Putin’s more than a quarter of a century of time in office, then urged the Russian Federation president to meet him to hopefully resolve the four-year conflict.
He asserted that Putin has been characterized as “comfortable” with the war, except when it threatens his own life, considering his personal security measures. However, Russians are now “becoming less comfortable with this reality — with the fact that the war is bringing more and more negative consequences to Russia,” he argued.
“Yesterday, I received a report on the losses of your army on the front in Ukraine during May. Once again, the number exceeded 30,000 Russian soldiers killed and seriously wounded. We have been maintaining that level month after month, and we have video confirmation of every one of your losses — these are not empty claims,” Zelensky asserted. “We know that 63 percent of your battlefield losses are killed, while only 37 percent are wounded. In the 21st century, no army can afford such a ratio. And the share of those killed will continue to grow.”
Though he said Ukraine does not care for “the fate of Russian soldiers,” he does care about Ukrainians.
“Do not be afraid to take the path out of this war. That is the main thing that is required of you now,” he continued.
Zelensky called Putin out for his heavy reliance on North Korea and China, a first for Russia.
“We have seen intelligence reports showing that you are now considering plans to continue the war into 2027 and 2028. We also know that you hope ballistic missiles will achieve for you what everything else has failed to achieve,” the letter went on.
“Do you really want to go through all of this?” Zelensky questioned. “The choice is yours now.”
He noted the United States’ complete focus on Iran, saying that “it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention.”
“I am proposing a meeting. Everyone heard your representatives, smiling, say that I could supposedly come to Moscow. But after these 26 years, there is nothing for a Ukrainian leader to do in your capital — just as there is nothing for a Russian leader to do in Kyiv,” he stated, suggesting they choose another country to host, like Switzerland, Turkey, or another Arab country.
Zelensky pushed for Europe and the U.S. to remain involved in potential diplomatic talks. He also made clear Ukraine’s willingness for a full ceasefire, monitored by the U.S., and an “all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war.”
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin called Zelensky’s more than 1,700-word letter “boorish.”
“Is it a way to create conditions for personal meetings and talks, or create an environment which makes any personal meetings impossible?” Putin said. “I think it’s the second.”
Just before the opening of the multi-day international summit, Ukraine launched strikes on two major targets — the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Kronstadt naval base — in St. Petersburg, which is the second largest city in Russia, as well as Putin’s birthplace.
The attack was seen as an embarrassment to the Russian leader, as about 20,000 visitors were expected from 130 countries, including a U.S. delegation made up of U.S. Commission of Fine Arts Chair Rodney Mims Cook Jr., Right-wing influencer Candace Owens and controversial British-American internet personality Andrew Tate.
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