Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is open to meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only at the final stage of negotiations to end Russia’s full-scale invasion, as both sides prepare for further talks later this month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only during a “final stage” of negotiations, aiming to bring closure to the ongoing conflict. “I am even ready to meet him [Zelenskyy] but only if it is some kind of final stage, o as not to sit there and divide something endlessly, but to put an end to it,” Putin said on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Putin said Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have agreed to another round of discussions after 22 June. Two prior rounds of direct peace talks have failed to make progress in ending Russia’s invasion, which is now in its fourth year.
“We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of peaceful settlement,” Putin said, noting that previous negotiations resulted in exchanges of prisoners and the bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict.
During the forum, Putin reiterated his claim that Zelenskyy is not Ukraine’s legitimate president, referencing the expiration of his term last year. This accusation has been rejected by Kyiv and its allies, who point out that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits national elections while the country is under martial law.
Putin also addressed other global issues, including the Israel-Iran conflict, NATO, and Russia’s relations with Western countries, during a meeting with senior news agency editors.
Meanwhile, Russia launched overnight attacks on six Ukrainian regions, deploying 104 Shahed-type UAVs and decoy drones. Ukraine’s military reported that 40 drones were destroyed and 48 were jammed or disabled by electronic warfare.
In Kyiv, emergency workers recovered more bodies from the debris of a nine-story apartment building in the Solomianskyi district, which was destroyed by a Russian missile strike. The death toll from this incident rose to 28, with 23 victims inside the building at the time of its collapse, making it the deadliest Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital this year. Five additional fatalities occurred elsewhere in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy described the overnight assault as one of the largest attacks since the war began.
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