Putin rejects direct meeting with Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's offer to sit down for a direct meeting. He said that Volodymyr Zelensky has requested a face-to-face meeting to directly discuss ending the war, but he sees no need for such a meeting.

Earlier, on Thursday (June 4), Zelensky had sent an open letter calling for direct talks with Putin. In the letter, he wrote that it would be a 'mistake' to wait for the war, which began with Russia's full-scale aggression in 2022, to return to the center of US attention.

The Ukrainian president also called for a ceasefire, and in the letter, he took a firm stance in some places and was sarcastic in others.

Putin rejected the request for a direct meeting with him, calling the letter 'impolite'. He reiterated his previous position that peace talks should precede any ceasefire.

Speaking at the Russian annual economic forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said, “I don’t see any need for it at the moment.”

He added, “Was this a way to create a favorable environment for a face-to-face meeting, or was it a way to avoid a face-to-face meeting? I think the second is correct.”

After hearing Putin’s response, Volodymyr Zelensky said, “Russia is choosing war again.”

Zelensky wrote on the social media platform Telegram, “He (Putin) does not want to end the war. I think many people in the world are disappointed by this answer.”

Commenting on Zelensky’s letter, Vladimir Putin reiterated his position that a ceasefire would only give Ukraine the opportunity to rebuild itself. However, the concessions or conditions that Moscow has demanded from Kiev have not yet been met.

“The only purpose of this is that the Ukrainian side wants to stop the advance of our armed forces. But we need an agreement that is not for six or three months, but for the long term,” he said.

“Let the experts work and find some solutions. Then we can meet,” he added.

BBC Bangla reports.