Overview
- Ukrainian president Volodímir Zelenski published an open letter proposing a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin that would start negotiation from the current front line and be held in a neutral country.
- Zelenski offered a full ceasefire during talks and suggested hosting options such as Switzerland, Turkey or Arab states with the United States and the European Union acting as guarantors.
- The Kremlin confirmed it received the letter but repeated that it will only accept talks under Russian conditions, including demands for Ukrainian withdrawals from parts of Donetsk tied to positions referenced in Anchorage in 2025.
- No meeting is scheduled because Moscow has not dropped its territorial preconditions and Kyiv refuses to cede ground that its forces hold, keeping the core impasse unresolved.
- The proposal raises pressure on both sides and could shift diplomatic momentum if third parties agree to guarantee talks or if Moscow softens its demands, and it also increases political stakes for leaders in Kyiv and Moscow.