Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter addressed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin calling for face-to-face negotiations and a comprehensive ceasefire.“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” he said in the letter, which was released on Thursday. “We must determine what kind of future awaits the generations of Ukrainians and Russians who will come after us. If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence.”He specified that any meeting should take place in a third-party country.
Zelensky’s letter emphasized Ukraine’s improved ability to hit Russian supply lines and long-range strikes deep into Russian territory, highlighting the argument that their ingenuity on the battlefield has had impacts on the long-term outlook of the war. Ahead of Putin’s annual economic conference in St. Petersburg this week, Ukrainian drones hit infrastructure facilities in the city.
Simultaneously, Russian forces recently threatened to increase their attacks on Kyiv, the capital, which is far from the front lines.
“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,” Zelensky said. “As you know very well, that distance is not the limit of our capabilities.”
