Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4, proposing direct peace talks to end a war that has now dragged on for more than four years. The letter calls for a face-to-face meeting at a neutral location, a full ceasefire during negotiations, and an all-for-all prisoner exchange.
The last time these two countries sat across from each other at a negotiating table was spring 2022, just weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24 of that year. Those early rounds took place in Belarus and Istanbul. They went nowhere.
What Zelenskyy is proposing
The open letter lays out several concrete conditions. First, any talks would need to happen at a neutral venue. Zelenskyy suggested Switzerland, Turkey, or Arab countries as potential hosts, explicitly ruling out political capitals like Moscow or Kyiv.
Second, he’s calling for a full ceasefire that would hold for the entire duration of negotiations.
