Zelensky says Putin's response to open letter shows Russia is choosing war again
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin gave a weak response to his open letter and that Russia is once again choosing war over peace.
The head of state said this in his nightly video address, Ukrinform reports.
"Unfortunately, the Russian side is once again choosing war -- everyone heard today's response. It was a weak response. He [Putin] simply does not want to end the war. I think this response disappointed many people around the world. He does not want to change anything and does not want to admit that this war is liked only by him and by those who are making money from him – they were all smiling broadly today. This means there must be less money in Russia and more pressure on Russia," Zelensky said.
Zelensky also announced upcoming meetings with European and U.S. partners.
He said he had held discussions with Ukraine's diplomatic team and that preparations were underway for several formats of meetings with European partners, as well as engagements with the American side.
"We know that the Europeans are preparing new steps to support Ukraine," he added.
Zelensky also said that, following a report presented to him by the Security Service of Ukraine, he had approved new operations proposed by the agency.
Earlier on Friday, Putin commented on Zelensky's open letter and said he currently saw no point in meeting with the Ukrainian leader. He stressed that Ukraine's interest was merely to halt the advance of Russian forces, while Russia supposedly needed agreements.
On June 4, Zelensky published an open letter inviting Putin to a face-to-face meeting to discuss ways to end the war. He suggested that such talks could be held in third countries that traditionally host international negotiations, including Switzerland, Turkey, or countries of the Arab world. At the same time, he stressed that he was not considering negotiations in either Moscow or Kyiv.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine