Kyiv, June 05, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed direct peace talks with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in an open letter, suggesting Switzerland, Turkey, or an Arab state as negotiation locations.
Content of the Letter and Proposed Locations
The letter was published on the website of the Ukrainian President's Office, coinciding with a press conference by Putin for selected international journalists at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. Zelenskyy excluded both Kyiv and Moscow as meeting venues, naming Switzerland, Turkey, or an Arab state as possible neutral locations. He also suggested that representatives from Europe and the United States could participate in the talks as potential guarantor powers.
As a first concrete step, Zelenskyy called for a ceasefire along the current front line, to be monitored by the United States. Following this, he proposed an all-for-all prisoner exchange and the return of civilians and children displaced by the war. In the letter, Zelenskyy also stated that the majority of Russians are tired of Ukrainian missile and drone attacks, inflation, and fuel shortages and are ready for peace.
Zelenskyy formulated a clear accusation against Putin. He wrote verbatim: "This war is your personal decision - a war without a real reason. This is how history will remember it." And further: "We receive support. You receive sanctions. And it will remain so." With this, he referred to continued Western support for Ukraine and Russia's economic isolation.