Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the near future, saying any such talks would only be meaningful after the framework of a peace agreement has been established.
Speaking on Friday at an economic forum in Saint Petersburg, Putin dismissed Zelensky’s recent proposal for direct negotiations between the two leaders aimed at ending the war that has raged since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“I see no point in meeting,” Putin said. “Let the experts work, develop some solutions, and then we can meet.”
The Russian leader argued that negotiations should focus first on reaching agreements through diplomatic channels before a summit between the two presidents could take place.
His remarks came a day after Zelensky issued a rare direct appeal to Putin, proposing a meeting and calling for renewed efforts to end the conflict.
“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky said in a public letter released on Thursday, adding that a specific date should be agreed upon for the talks.
Putin’s rejection drew a sharp response from Kyiv. Zelensky accused the Russian leader of lacking the will to end the conflict and choosing to continue military action instead.
“Unfortunately, the Russian side is choosing war again,” Zelensky said. “He simply doesn’t want to end the war.”
The Ukrainian president has consistently argued that direct discussions with Putin are necessary to resolve key issues surrounding any future peace settlement. His proposal has received backing from several Western leaders, including Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron.
Zelensky is expected to hold talks in London on Sunday with Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz and Macron as part of efforts to revive stalled peace initiatives.
Despite ongoing international mediation, including attempts led by the United States, negotiations have made little progress. Moscow continues to demand control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and seeks broad political and military restrictions on Kyiv, conditions Ukraine and its allies have rejected as unacceptable.
Putin reiterated that Russia would continue its military campaign until its objectives were fully achieved.
“Military actions will end some day, we assume. Without a doubt, they will end once we have achieved the goals we have set for ourselves,” he said.
The war, now in its fifth year, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced millions of people and devastated large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
During the forum, Putin also dismissed concerns about the state of Russia’s economy amid the financial pressures of the prolonged conflict and Western sanctions.
“We hear criticism from all sides that everything has collapsed,” he said, insisting that Russia’s economy remained resilient despite rising inflation, higher borrowing costs and increasing fiscal pressures.
The Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, once known as the “Russian Davos” for attracting major Western investors, has increasingly reflected Russia’s geopolitical isolation. This year’s event featured exhibitions promoting investment in territories annexed from Ukraine, military technology displays and appearances by several foreign supporters of the Kremlin.
The forum opened amid heightened security concerns following recent Ukrainian drone strikes targeting energy infrastructure and facilities in and around Saint Petersburg, underscoring the continuing intensity of the conflict despite renewed calls for peace.
