RUSSIA: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ruled out meeting his Ukrainian counterpart any time soon, a day after Volodymyr Zelensky called for a sit-down between the leaders to end the four-year war.
Speaking at an economic forum in his home city of Saint Petersburg, Putin said he saw “no point” in meeting Zelensky until a possible peace deal had been agreed.
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Zelensky hit back saying the Russian leader was “weak” and “choosing war again”.
Putin also vowed to press on with Russia’s military offensive until its war goals had been achieved.
Russia has demanded control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region as well as sweeping political and military restrictions on its neighbour.
Kyiv and its allies have ruled the conditions as tantamount to capitulation and US-brokered peace talks have failed to bring the sides closer.
Zelensky on Thursday issued a rare direct appeal to the Russian leader.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky said in an open letter. “I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting.”
Putin refused however.
“I see no point in meeting. It only makes sense for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces. That’s it. And we need agreements,” Putin told Russia’s flagship economic forum.
“Let the experts work, develop some solutions, and then we can meet,” Putin added.
Hundreds of thousands have been killed since Putin launched his full-scale offensive — which he calls a “special military operation” — in February 2022.
Swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine have been destroyed and millions forced from their homes in the four-year campaign Moscow hoped would have toppled Kyiv within a matter of days.
Russia staged new deadly attacks Friday, with Ukrainian authorities saying four civilians were killed and seven wounded in Russian strikes on Mykolaivka and Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region.
Zelensky says a summit is needed to thrash out the key issues of a peace deal.
“Unfortunately, the Russian side is choosing war again — everyone heard today’s response. A weak response. He simply doesn’t want to end the war,” he said after Putin rejected the call.
His proposal had won support from key allies, including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Zelensky is to meet Macron, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on Sunday in a bid to inject fresh momentum into diplomatic efforts.
Putin said the conflict would only stop when Russia’s goals are met.
