Zerohedge: Putin Rejects Zelensky's Peace Talk Proposal

Summary

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for a peace summit, stating he sees no point in such a meeting for now. Putin made his remarks at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, addressing Russian soldiers instead of the "authors of the epistolary genre." He indicated that while he had previously sent an informal envoy to Ukraine at Kiev's request last month, a bombing at a college dormitory in Lugansk, which killed twenty-one people, undermined diplomatic efforts. Putin suggested Zelensky's letter might be intended to prevent a meeting rather than facilitate one. Zelensky's appeal had proposed an end to the war through direct engagement, a full ceasefire for negotiations, and guaranteed peace, noting Ukraine shouldn't wait for the United States to shift focus from Iran back to Europe. However, the Kremlin appears willing to let the conflict continue, with Putin stating a truce is only necessary if a deal is imminent, and the two sides remain far from the negotiating table.