Putin Rejects Zelensky’s Meeting Proposal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the near future, saying there is no reason for direct talks until the terms of a peace agreement are worked out.

Putin made the remarks on Friday at an economic forum in Saint Petersburg, a day after Zelensky publicly called for a face-to-face meeting to end the four-year war between the two countries.

“I see no point in meeting. “Let the experts work, develop some solutions, and then we can meet,” Putin said.

The Russian leader maintained that military operations will continue until Moscow achieves its objectives in Ukraine.

“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 stated.

Russia has continued to demand control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, alongside political and military restrictions on Kyiv. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected those demands, describing them as unacceptable.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Credit: Genya SAVILOV / AFP

On Thursday, Zelensky directly appealed to Putin to hold talks.

“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky said in his message.

The Ukrainian leader’s proposal has received support from several Western leaders, including Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron. Zelensky is also expected to meet Macron, Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz in London as efforts to revive peace negotiations continue.

Beyond the conflict, Putin used the forum to dismiss concerns about Russia’s economy despite the impact of war-related spending and Western sanctions.

“We, of course, hear criticism from all sides that everything has collapsed,” Putin said, insisting that Russia was pursuing a “sovereign” economic path.

The war, which began in February 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, and devastated large areas of eastern and southern Ukraine. Despite ongoing international efforts to broker peace, the latest exchange between the two leaders suggests that a direct meeting remains unlikely in the immediate future.

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Deborah Akwa

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