The Kremlin has officially confirmed receipt of an open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. This was announced by Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to the head of the Russian state, in response to journalists' questions.
Kremlin's Position: Lack of Communication Channels
Commenting on the receipt of the appeal, a representative of the Russian President's administration emphasized that, at present, Russia has no official diplomatic channels of communication with Ukraine. This statement came immediately after the content of the Ukrainian leader's message became known.
Essence of Kyiv's Proposal
The text of the letter was published on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine on the evening of June 4. In his appeal, Zelenskyy proposed to Vladimir Putin a personal meeting on the territory of a third country. The Ukrainian leader named the main goal of such a conversation as discussing ways to achieve long-term peace.
As steps towards de-escalation of the conflict, Kyiv put forward specific proposals:
- Ukraine is ready to declare a ceasefire for the period of negotiations;
- Kyiv will initiate an exchange of prisoners of war on a "all for all" basis.
According to the President of Ukraine, the implementation of these points could become an important stage on the path to ending the war.
US Reaction
Events surrounding Zelenskyy's letter were commented on by US President Donald Trump. He stated that he positively assesses the very fact of discussing a potential meeting between the parties to the conflict. Trump added that the United States has made significant efforts to create the necessary conditions for resuming such dialogue.