Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's rejection of his proposal to hold a meeting to end the more than four-year conflict in Ukraine shows that the Kremlin leader “still chooses war”, writes Agerpres.
“Unfortunately, the Russian side still chooses war, everyone has heard the answer. A weak answer. They just don't want to end the war,” Zelenskiy said.
“I think this answer has disappointed many people around the world,” the leader from Kiev also said. “He doesn't want to change anything, he doesn't want to admit that only he and those who make money from it like his war – everyone was very smiling today. This means that the money from Russia must be reduced and the pressure on Russia must be increased,” Zelenskiy demanded in his video message on Friday evening.
Unfortunately, the Russian side once again chooses war – everyone heard the response today. Weak response. He simply does not want to end the war.
I think many around the world were disappointed by that response. He doesn't want to change anything, and he doesn't want to admit… pic.twitter.com/En6BySTKPP
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 5, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he saw no reason now to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky as long as a peace deal is not drawn up, after the latter wrote an open letter to him the previous day asking for a face-to-face meeting to end the war between their countries.
“I don't see the point of a meeting. It would only be of interest to the Ukrainian side, with the aim of stopping the advance of our armed forces,” Putin said Friday, speaking at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
The Ukrainian president asks him in the letter for a meeting, but not in Moscow or Kiev, but in a third country, such as Switzerland or an Arab country. The first step, Zelenskiy continues, must be a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, starting with civilians and children abducted by Russia.
At the end of the letter, Zelenskiy threatens Putin that if he does not end the war, he will have to fight for his own existence, arguing that history shows that when Russia gets tired, change follows.
Zelensky announced a prisoner exchange
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced in his evening speech that 186 Ukrainians who were prisoners of war, most of them military, have returned home, the exchange of prisoners being the only concrete results of the attempts to negotiate with Russia so far, notes News.ro.
“In today's exchange there are people with serious illnesses and who have suffered injuries. The exchanges are not easy, but they are taking place. But we are preparing the next stages. It is important that this year we have already organized seven actions, bringing back 1,429 people in total,” said Zelenski.
Diplomatically, he said meetings “that could be useful” are being prepared, including “with the American side.”
On the other hand, Zelensky mentioned that he approved “new operations” to be undertaken by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), given that lately Ukraine has taken increasingly daring actions on Russian territory.
