Zelensky Proposes Face‑to‑Face Meeting and Total Ceasefire; Putin Declines

Overview

• President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter on Thursday proposing a face‑to‑face meeting with Vladimir Putin and a total ceasefire during negotiations.
• Putin told journalists at the St. Petersburg forum that proposals discussed with President Trump in Anchorage could form a basis for talks.
• The Kremlin leader later described Zelensky’s letter as insincere and 'quite rude' and said he did not see a reason to meet at this time.
• Meanwhile fighting has continued: Ukrainian drones struck targets in Saint Petersburg and Russian drone attacks near Kyiv killed four people, showing that hostilities and strikes persist.
• Hardline Russian commentators dismissed Zelensky’s move as a publicity tactic, Kyiv is pushing for more Western air defenses and European diplomacy, and the deadlock over Donbass leaves the conflict poised to drag on or to widen into regional spillover.