Russia’s Putin says ‘no point’ meeting Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for now

The Russian person insisted subject enactment would lone halt aft Moscow achieves its ‘goals’.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has turned down an connection for in-person talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying helium sees nary constituent successful specified a gathering for now.

Putin delivered the remarks during Russia’s flagship economical forum successful St Petersburg connected Friday, a time aft Zelenskyy shared an unfastened letter appealing for a face-to-face gathering successful which the 2 leaders could hash retired an extremity to the war.

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Zelenskyy responded aboriginal connected Friday, saying Putin’s rejection of his ⁠proposal showed that the Kremlin had nary privation to extremity the war.

“Unfortunately, the ⁠Russian broadside is ⁠once again choosing warfare – everyone perceive the ⁠response. A anemic ⁠response,” the Ukrainian president ⁠said successful his nightly video address. “I deliberation this effect ‌will person disappointed galore successful the ‌world.”

Putin had said Zelenskyy’s letter, which urged the Russian person to “not beryllium acrophobic to instrumentality the way retired of this war”, was rude successful parts and did not onslaught him arsenic sincere.

“This missive contains immoderate alternatively ‌rude remarks. Was it a mode to make the conditions for a face-to-face gathering oregon a mode not to acceptable up a face-to-face meeting? I deliberation it was the second,” said Putin.

Asked whether helium would ⁠meet the Ukrainian leader, Putin said, “I ⁠don’t spot immoderate constituent for now.”

“It lone makes consciousness for the Ukrainian broadside to halt the beforehand of our equipped forces. That’s it,” continued Putin. “And we request agreements … Let the experts work, make immoderate solutions, and past we tin meet.”

Talks to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, now successful its 5th year, person mostly stalled owed to Russia’s insistence connected retaining territory it has seized, which Kyiv has refused to cede.

Mediation efforts person taken a further deed arsenic the United States, which has held years of bid talks, shifts its attraction toward the warfare successful Iran.

In his unfastened letter, Zelenskyy acknowledged the US’s shifting overseas argumentation priorities, saying it would beryllium incorrect to simply hold for Washington to re-engage.

Putin says warfare to proceed until ‘goals achieved’

Putin has antecedently offered for Zelenskyy to travel to Moscow for talks, an connection that the Ukrainian person pointedly rejected. Putin has said helium is unfastened to gathering successful a 3rd country, but lone erstwhile determination is simply a woody to sign.

In his remarks connected Friday, Putin reiterated his presumption that the struggle would lone halt erstwhile Russia’s goals are met.

“Military actions volition extremity someday, we assume. Without a doubt, they volition extremity erstwhile we person achieved the goals we person acceptable for ourselves,” helium said.

Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from St Petersburg connected Friday, said, “We recognize that Russia volition proceed to combat connected the battlefield and Vladimir Putin is not consenting to decorativeness this war, astatine slightest for this moment.”

The Russian person besides rejected claims that the country’s system was falling isolated nether the precocious costs of the war.

The Kremlin’s violative against Ukraine has enactment Russia’s finances nether immense strain, with rising prices, taxation hikes and two-decade-high borrowing costs hitting galore citizens hard.

The Russian system shrank by 0.2 percent successful the archetypal 4th of 2026, its archetypal quarterly slump successful 3 years, arsenic strain from the warfare and Western sanctions mounts.

“We, of course, perceive disapproval from each sides that everything has collapsed,” Putin said.

“We person descended to the aforesaid level astatine which eurozone countries person been surviving done for the past fewer years,” helium added, noting that Russia was pursuing a “sovereign” economy.