President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote an open letter to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, proposing to schedule a meeting and set a date, UNN reports.
"When you took the lead of Russia more than 26 years ago, many in Ukraine viewed you positively. That was the case. It is now in the past. Today, the absolute majority of Ukrainians react positively to the fact that our long-range drones visited the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, covering a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. As you well know, this distance is not the limit of our capabilities. 26 years of your rule have completely changed the agenda in relations between Ukraine and Russia. From discussions on trade turnover and other civilian issues, our nations have moved to the topic of exclusively strikes and losses," Zelenskyy writes.
He adds that Putin has spent almost his entire presidential term at war against Ukraine, and regardless of what he says about NATO, geopolitics, and the Russian language, this war is Putin's personal choice—a war without a real reason.
"This is exactly how history will remember it. This time could have passed quite differently. We often hear that the war suits you. Of course, not in cases concerning the security of your residence in Valdai or the parade in Moscow. Your own life is valuable to you. But now we all see that this is finally ceasing to suit Russians—the fact that the war brings more and more negativity to Russia. They don't like our drones and missiles. They don't like the gasoline shortage and the constant rise in prices. They don't like the constant bans.
They don't like your intention to organize a second wave of mobilization to expand the war to another direction in Ukraine or to direct it against some other neighboring countries of Russia. They don't like that there is no end in sight to your war. Yes, you can still force Russians to exist like this. But your resources are significantly shrinking. You will not have enough money and political power to continue buying the loyalty of Russians as you have done for 26 years. We will do everything to ensure the world takes care of this. As you say yourself, 'everything must be calculated'," Zelenskyy notes.
The President emphasized that yesterday he received a report on Russian losses in May, which reached over 30,000 killed and wounded, and this figure holds almost every month.
"Regarding each of your losses, we have video confirmation—this is not baseless. We know that in your losses at the front, 63 percent are killed, and only 37 percent are wounded. In the 21st century, armies cannot afford such a balance. In the future, the share of those killed will increase. Not that we in Ukraine worry about Russians. After everything your war has brought to Ukraine. But I care about Ukrainians. We are losing our people, and every loss of ours hurts us. And even when the level of Ukrainian losses is one to five or one to six compared to Russian losses, it still matters a great deal. Just as it matters that you already regularly, once every few months, postpone the deadlines for capturing our regions, primarily the Donetsk region. You will not capture it this year either.
He emphasized that Ukraine has intelligence documents showing that Russia is currently considering war plans for 2027 and 2028, and our intelligence also knows that the Russian Federation wants to drag Belarus into the war.
"We see that you are playing some kind of game with Transnistria. Your propagandists threaten all of Russia's neighbors in one way or another. Do you really want to go through all this?
The choice is now yours. Enough war. Ukraine proposes to end this war. It must be done honestly, with dignity, and with a guarantee that there will be no new flare-up of war. We see that the US is giving all its attention to the issue of Iran, and it is wrong to just wait for their attention to turn to the war in Europe. Ukraine proposes to end the war in a format between us and you. I propose a meeting to you. Everyone heard how your representatives, smiling, said that I could supposedly come to Moscow. But after such 26 years, a Ukrainian leader has nothing to do in your capital, just as a Russian leader has nothing to do in Kyiv. There are countries that traditionally host leaders to resolve issues of war and peace. Switzerland, Turkey, countries of the Arab world—many can and want to host this meeting.
It is the leaders who decide key issues—it has always been and will always be so. I propose to set a clear date for the meeting. We heard that you were promised a resolution of some things concerning Ukraine and Europe in Alaska. But you see that Ukrainian and European issues are not decided in Anchorage. Other designated participants can join the bilateral track started between us. Since the war is ongoing in Europe, and we in Ukraine need security guarantees, and you want security guarantees for yourself, the participation of those who can truly act as guarantors seems logical," the Ukrainian President adds.
According to the President, Ukraine had many treaties with Russia that did not work, so it is necessary to find primarily bilateral answers to the existing questions and not hide from difficult issues behind any formulations, technical groups, or wasting time in shuttle diplomacy.
"With your war, you have forever separated Ukraine and Russia. The front line now is the line from which diplomacy must begin. Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. And this is standard practice, which is now confirmed by the circumstances surrounding Iran. An attempt to establish real silence is the best start to begin talking to each other. We believe that this will not just be an attempt, but a real ceasefire, if you want it. You know that the United States can provide monitoring of the ceasefire along the line of contact. Ukraine is ready for an exchange of prisoners of war on an 'all for all' basis, and this could be a good prologue to the end of the war. Serious steps must be taken to return the civilians and children who were taken away during the war. We must determine what the future will be for all subsequent generations of Ukrainians and Russians. If you personally do not come to the idea in your thoughts that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence. We will have those who support us. But you too will have to fight much harder for your existence—not Russia's, but your personal one. And this is not a threat from me or Ukraine. These are facts of Russian history that you know well: when Russia gets tired, changes happen. We can work toward such fatigue. You can stop your war. Eternal memory to all whose lives were taken by this war. Glory to Ukraine," the President concluded.
