Putin interpreted Zelenskyy’s letter as sign that Ukraine does not want negotiations, - Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open letter to Russian dictator Putin had been "circulated around the world," and therefore, Kyiv is not ready for negotiations.
Lavrov stated this during a press conference, according to "Kommersant," as reported by Censor.NET.
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The Russian Foreign Ministry once again claimed that Ukraine was allegedly unprepared for negotiations with Russia, and described the letter as a breach of diplomatic protocol.
"Regarding the likelihood of resuming negotiations with Ukraine, President Putin spoke at length on this topic at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. In particular, he addressed the letter published by Zelenskyy, which was addressed to President Putin but, for some reason, was sent out to the whole world. Well, polite people don’t do that, and the president viewed this letter more as a sign that Ukraine doesn’t need negotiations. We are ready for negotiations—for honest negotiations, without deception," Lavrov said.
Zelenskyy's Letter to Putin
- On June 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in which he proposed a meeting.
- In his letter, Zelenskyy proposed to Putin that they end the war "between us and you" and set a specific date for a meeting. Among the countries that could host such a meeting, the head of state mentioned Switzerland, Turkey, and countries in the Arab world.
- While negotiations are ongoing, Ukraine is prepared to implement a complete ceasefire, and the United States could provide monitoring.
- The President of Ukraine believes that an exchange of prisoners of war on an "all for all" basis could serve as a good first step toward ending the war. Zelenskyy also emphasized the need for measures to repatriate civilians and children who were taken away during the war.
- On June 5, Putin said that he had "casually" glanced at Zelenskyy’s open letter that morning and had "never refused" to meet with the Ukrainian president, but he was opposed to "talking in circles" and currently saw "no point" in direct negotiations.
- During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin stated that a Russian businessman had allegedly traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
- Subsequently, the Financial Times, citing four sources, reported that in May, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich visited Kyiv at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader sought to use him to persuade Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to agree to direct peace talks.
