‘You can stop your war’: Putin dismisses Zelenskyy’s open letter asking for a face-to-face meeting to end the Russian-Ukraine war calling it ‘rude’

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has officially rebuffed a call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting to discuss ending the four-year Russian-Ukrainian war.

Putin stated that there was simply “no point” in such a conversation at this time. Markedly, this rejection came as Putin prepared to address the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a major event that attracts political leaders and business elites.

Per CNN, Zelenskyy sent his open letter on Thursday, reportedly trying to capitalize on the rising disquiet among business elites. He wrote, “We can all see that Russians are finally becoming less comfortable with this reality – with the fact that the war is bringing more and more negative consequences to Russia. They do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war.” He further warned Putin that history shows “when Russia grows tired, change comes.”

Following the rebuff, BBC reported that Ukraine launched what has been described as an “unprecedented attack” on and around St. Petersburg during the final day of the economic forum. Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported that more than 140 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region. For the first time since the invasion began, Russian residents were reportedly urged to stay indoors.

Reports note that this is a big shift for Ukraine in capability and strategy

Zelenskyy confirmed that his forces had struck Russian arsenals and a naval base, describing the action as a response to ongoing Russian aggression. The commander of one of the Ukrainian units involved, Yevhen Karas, told the BBC that the operation was surprisingly straightforward. “We fly in Russia like it’s our own territory. Almost no resistance, not hard to reach a target,” Karas said. 

The BBC also noted that Ukrainian forces have been running a long-distance drone campaign to disrupt Russian logistics over the past few weeks. Recent reports indicate that Ukraine has hit hundreds of lorries and fuel trucks.

Putin reportedly remained entirely unmoved by Zelenskyy’s warnings when he made his public remarks. When asked about the letter during a panel discussion, he called the note “rude” and suggested the real intention behind the communication was to ensure that no meeting actually took place. 

He stated that the only point of a meeting would be for Ukraine to stop the advance of Russian armed forces. “But we need agreements … let the experts do the work, work out some solutions, and after that, we can meet up … sign some documents,” Putin added. He concluded his thoughts on the matter by telling his soldiers on the front lines to “Keep working, brothers.” A Kremlin spokesperson stated that Zelenskyy “come to Moscow”, if he wanted to talk.

CNN noted that the economic context of the forum was equally strained. Putin attempted to strike a defiant tone, referring to sanctions as “theft.” Others within the Russian establishment, however, were more cautious.

According to CNN, Western experts think that the Kremlin is soon going to “face a fundamental choice over whether to radically escalate its demands on Russia’s economy and society or to scale back its war aims.” They believe that Russia’s current was strategies are unsustainable in term os the economic and human capital. Recently, Putin had announced that the war was almost over, but shortly after, Russia used ballistic missiles on Ukraine, escalating the combat.

In fact, German Gref, the boss of Sberbank, admitted that continued economic growth under the current circumstances is “already a miracle.” Despite this, the Kremlin continues to push for maximalist demands, including the surrender of territory currently under Ukrainian control.

Zelenskyy has reportedly expressed his disappointment with the response, characterizing it as a weak stance from a leader who simply does not want to end the war. He reportedly emphasized that peace shouldn’t wait for the US. “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.” After all, before the Iran war, the deadline for a resolution had been June.

Per the outlet, Zelenskyy has a few key demands for the possibility of peace. It would need to be in a third country with a clear date set, and it needs a full ceasefire. “An attempt to establish real silence is the best way to begin talking to one another.”