Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin in a rare open letter to the Russian leader Thursday, shortly after the Kremlin chief had conceded Moscow needed to strengthen its air defenses amid a spate of Ukrainian attacks.
The Kremlin said Putin had not yet been shown the letter, but that Zelensky could meet Putin in Moscow "any time" — a proposal that the Ukrainian leader preemptively ruled out in his letter.
"Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting," Zelensky said in the letter.
"I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting," he said.
"Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations," he added.
