ST. PETERSBURG, June 5, 2026 — Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request for a direct face-to-face meeting Friday, saying he sees “no point” in the talks and calling Zelenskyy’s open letter proposing the meeting “boorish” — as Zelenskyy responded by saying Russia “once again chooses war.”
“I don’t see any point for now,” Putin said at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — Russia’s annual flagship economic gathering, sometimes called “Russian Davos” — when asked about Zelenskyy’s proposal. “Is it a way to create conditions for personal meetings and talks, or create an environment which makes any personal meetings impossible? I think it’s the second.”
Putin also insisted a meeting could only happen after “experts get to work and come up with some solutions” — effectively deferring any summit to the end of a negotiation process rather than the beginning of one. “First, let experts work, work something out, and then we can meet to sign things,” he said.
Zelenskyy’s Open Letter
The rejection came one day after Zelenskyy published a sweeping open letter to Putin on the Ukrainian presidential website — the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The letter was addressed to “The President of the Russian Federation from the President of Ukraine” and was simultaneously sent as Ukrainian drones struck St. Petersburg, where Putin was hosting the forum.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you,” Zelenskyy wrote. “I am proposing a meeting.” He suggested Switzerland, Turkey, or countries in the Arab world as possible neutral venues. He also warned against allowing international attention to drift away from the conflict. “We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention,” he wrote.
The letter was also a sweeping personal critique of Putin’s 26 years in power — noting that more than 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed or seriously wounded in May alone, that Russia would not capture the Donetsk region in 2026, and that Putin’s resources were “shrinking significantly.” “Whatever you may say about NATO, geopolitics, or the Russian language, this war is your personal choice — a war without a real cause,” Zelenskyy wrote. “That is how history will remember it.”
Putin’s Rebuff
Putin described the letter as “boorish” — particularly in light of Ukrainian drone strikes on St. Petersburg that coincided with its publication. He reiterated Russia’s longstanding position that a ceasefire would only serve to give Ukraine time to regroup, and that Russia’s goals must be met before any lasting agreement. “The only point is for the Ukrainian side to halt the advance of our armed forces. But we need agreements — not for six months, not for three months, but for the long term,” he said.
Putin also rejected Zelenskyy’s proposed neutral venues, insisting that if a meeting were to happen, it should take place in Moscow. “The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the heroic city of Moscow,” he said. He also repeated a claim he has made previously — that Zelenskyy lacks the legal authority to sign agreements since his presidential term officially expired, though Zelenskyy continues to govern under martial law that automatically extends his mandate for the duration of the war.
Russia also reiterated its territorial demands. The Kremlin insists on full control of the eastern Donbas region — a condition Kyiv has routinely rejected. “Military actions will end some day, we assume. Without a doubt, they will end once we have achieved the goals we have set for ourselves,” Putin said.
Zelenskyy’s Response
Zelenskyy called Putin’s response “weak” in a statement on X, saying Russia “once again chooses war.” In a separate address to the Ukrainian nation, titled “Unfortunately, the Russian Side Once Again Chooses War,” published on the presidential website, Zelenskyy said many around the world were disappointed by Putin’s response.
“I think many around the world were disappointed by that response,” he wrote. “He does not want to change anything, and he does not want to admit that this war appeals only to him — and to those who are making money off him.” Zelenskyy called for greater economic pressure on Russia, saying: “They were all smiling very broadly today.”
Trump’s Reaction
President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday — ahead of Putin’s rejection — that he thought it would be “great” if Putin and Zelenskyy came together for a meeting. “They should get it done,” Trump said in the Oval Office. He later added that he believed both sides would ultimately make compromises to end the war.
The Diplomatic Backdrop
The exchange between the two leaders came as the Ukraine Support Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives 226-195 on Wednesday, with 18 Republicans joining all Democrats to provide $8 billion in loans to Ukraine, impose a 500 percent tariff on Russian imports, and sanction Russia’s energy sector. The bill still requires Senate passage.
Zelenskyy’s letter and Putin’s rejection also came as European leaders were grappling with two Russian drone incidents on Romanian NATO territory in one week — including a Ukrainian naval drone lost to Russian electronic warfare jamming that detonated at the port of Constanța on June 5. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the incidents evidence that “Russia’s war is increasingly spilling over into EU territory.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday that the war in Iran had effectively become Washington’s diplomatic priority — a shift Zelenskyy directly addressed in his letter to Putin. “It would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention,” he wrote — framing his direct appeal to Putin as a way to keep Ukraine’s war from being sidelined by the global focus on Tehran.