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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin in an open letter to the Russian leader on Thursday, saying he was ready for a “full ceasefire.”
The letter marks one of the few times Zelenskyy has appealed directly to Putin since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion and the first time he has ever sent a letter directly to the Russian leader.
“The choice is yours now. Enough of war. Ukraine proposes to end this war,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding “Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting.”
“It is leaders who resolve the key issues. That has always been the case, and it always will be,” Zelenskyy wrote, suggesting that Putin “set a clear date for such a meeting.”
“Do not be afraid to take the path out of this war. That is the main thing that is required of you now.”
“After 26 years in power, age is beginning to take its toll. And with time, the fatigue with you will only grow.”
The Ukrainian presidential office confirmed that although the letter was sent to Moscow, it was also shared with Kyiv’s partners, including the US.
‘This war is your personal choice’
Zelenskyy opened the letter saying when Vladimir Putin came to power over 26 years ago “many people in Ukraine viewed you positively.”
“That is how it was. But that is now in the past.”
Zelenskyy said now the “overwhelming majority of Ukrainians view it positively that our long-range drones paid a visit to the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, covering a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers.”
“As you know very well, that distance is not the limit of our capabilities.”
“You have spent nearly half of your 26 years in power in Russia waging war against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said adding that whatever Putin may have said about NATO, geopolitics, or the Russian language, this was a false pretext for the war.
“This war is your personal choice — a war without a real cause. That is how history will remember it.”
Zelenskyy said that even if Russia does not care about its military casualties, Ukraine does.
“We are losing our people, and every loss is painful to us. Even when the ratio of Ukrainian losses to Russian losses is one to five or one to six, it still matters greatly.”
“We in Ukraine do not want a permanent war,” Zelenskyy stated in the open letter.
“We know very well that life without war is infinitely better. And we want to achieve that.”
Zelenskyy also said he is “convinced that the majority of Russians would respond positively to this as well — and you know it.”
“Many did not believe that Ukraine would be able to hold out for so long. You did not believe it. And those who advised you did not believe it either. That was a mistake.”
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for a meeting with Putin, saying only face-to-face talks will yield an agreement on territory.
The Kremlin said on Thursday evening that Zelenskyy is welcome to meet Putin in Moscow “any time.”
“Zelenskyy can come at any time to Moscow,” state media quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, adding that Putin had not yet been shown Zelenskyy’s letter.