Putin responds to Zelenskyy’s letter
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open letter, according to Putin’s statement at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (PMEF)
What Putin said
According to the head of the Kremlin, he reviewed the letter on the morning of June 5. The Kremlin leader highlighted several points.
One of them was that the Ukrainian president mentioned his age.
"Of course, everyone should think about age, but it seems to me that at my age, many other political figures are performing their duties, and some are older than me. The main thing is not age; it is certainly important, but the key is capacity and ability to work," he added.
Putin was also "stung" by the fact that Zelenskyy referred in the letter to the length of his time in power.
"This is an important issue, but one must go to the elections. One must not be afraid to go to elections and always act within the framework of the constitution. Because if power is held beyond the constitution, it is called usurpation of power — a criminal offense," the President said cynically.
Putin also expressed surprise that discussions in Ukraine about the need for elections have now fallen silent.
The Kremlin chief further claimed that Ukraine supposedly wants only European countries to act as guarantors of any potential peace agreements, excluding the United States. In this context, he mockingly referred to a dispute between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at the White House.
According to Putin, a representative of Russian business circles, who does not have close ties with him, was allegedly invited to Kyiv three weeks ago, visited the city, and met with President Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy’s letter
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Vladimir Putin. This followed a statement by the Ukrainian leader that, since the US is currently focused on Iran, Ukraine is ready for direct talks with Russia rather than waiting its turn.
In the letter itself, Zelenskyy noted that Russia will not be able to capture Donbas this year and called for ending the war through negotiations. During the talks, he proposed declaring a ceasefire based on the "hold the line where we are" principle.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the letter is being delivered through all diplomatic channels, while the Presidential Office clarified that the document is addressed not only to Putin (including influential groups within Russia) but also to partners, including the US.
Before Putin’s response was published, the Kremlin spokesperson said that Putin had seen the letter but repeated the position: “if Zelenskyy wants talks, he should come to Moscow.”
US President Donald Trump reacted positively to the Ukrainian president’s initiative, saying at the White House that he was “glad” about the discussion of a possible meeting.
He called Putin and Zelenskyy "very good people" and described Russia and Ukraine as "beautiful countries." Trump expressed hope that both sides would “reach a compromise.”
