Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the four-year-long war in an open letter posted as the Russian leader attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Zelensky’s timing – in the middle of the event where Russian billionaires schmooze with political leaders and decision makers – is no coincidence. The Russian economy is struggling and Zelensky is hoping he can capitalize on the rising disquiet among the business elites about the situation.
“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,” Zelensky wrote. “They do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war.”
The Ukrainian leader said Putin “regularly” postpones deadlines to capture Ukrainian regions, specifically Donetsk.
“And you will not capture it this year either,” he said.
