Putin on Zelenskyy’s letter: I see "no point" in meeting
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said he had read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open letter, but "sees no point" in meeting him.
He said this during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to Russian propaganda media, Censor.NET reports.
Dictator rejects possibility of meeting
Putin said that this morning he had "briefly" read Zelenskyy’s open letter. The head of Russia also claimed that Zelenskyy’s letter contained "elements of rudeness."
"And this letter you just mentioned, does it really contain elements of rudeness? What is this? Is this a way to create conditions for a personal meeting and negotiations, or is it creating an environment in which, in fact, it becomes impossible to hold any personal meetings at all? I think it is the latter," he said.
Putin claimed that Moscow sees no point in holding a top-level meeting only to stop the advance of the occupation forces at the front.
According to Putin, Kyiv needs "to stop the Russian offensive," while the Kremlin needs ready-made "agreements," and specific decisions on "settling the war" must be found before the leaders meet.
Fantasies about secret businesspeople and usurpation of power
Putin began claiming that one of the Russian businesspeople had allegedly recently made a secret visit to Zelenskyy in Kyiv and then relayed to the Kremlin a personal request from the Ukrainian president to organize a meeting.
Putin also accused Zelenskyy of "usurping power" and being "afraid to hold elections." Martial law has been declared in Ukraine, during which the Constitution of Ukraine prohibits elections. In his letter to Putin, President Zelenskyy noted that Putin has been ruling Russia for 26 years.
Call to continue aggression
The finale of the Kremlin leader’s speech was an open call to Russian generals and soldiers to continue destroying Ukrainian cities. Commenting on his ultimatum in response to the letter from Kyiv, Putin demonstratively addressed the invaders with the words: "Keep working, brothers."
Background
- On 4 June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in which he proposed a meeting.
- In the letter, Zelenskyy proposed ending the war "in a format between us and you" and setting a clear date for the meeting. Among the countries that could host such a meeting, the head of state named Switzerland, Turkey and countries of the Arab world.
- Ukraine is ready to fully cease fire for the duration of the negotiations, and the United States could provide monitoring.
- The Ukrainian president believes that a full exchange of prisoners of war under the all-for-all principle could be a good prologue to ending the war. Zelenskyy also stressed steps to return civilians and children who were taken away during the war.
