Zelenskyy in Open Letter Proposes Face-to-Face Talks With Putin to End Ukraine War

Zelenskyy proposes direct talks with Putin and a full ceasefire as U.S. lawmakers back $8 billion in Ukraine loans and Russia sanctions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes statements as he arrives for the EU Summit in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, on April 23, 2026. Petros Karadjias/AP Photo

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian President ‌Vladimir Putin on June 4 proposing that the two leaders meet to agree an end to more than ‌four years of war.

In the letter, posted on Ukraine’s official presidential website, Zelenskyy said that with the United States focused on the conflict in Iran, he was proposing a meeting because “it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention.”