Overview
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter on June 4 proposing a face‑to‑face summit in a neutral country with a full ceasefire for the duration of talks.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly rejected the offer at the St. Petersburg forum on June 5, saying he saw “no point” in meeting and pointing to recent Ukrainian drone strikes as justification.
- Putin repeated that Russia will not accept an immediate ceasefire and said any deal requires political concessions from Kyiv, referencing understandings he discussed with President Trump.
- The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelensky could come to Moscow for talks, a conditional invitation that did not change Moscow’s demand for prior agreements.
- Despite the diplomatic deadlock, Kyiv and Moscow continued limited humanitarian cooperation with a prisoner swap that returned roughly 185 Ukrainians, a channel that directly affects families and remains the main point of contact.