Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a renewed effort to end the war between the two countries. “When you came to power in Russia more than 26 years ago, many people in Ukraine viewed you positively. That is how it was. But that is now in the past. Now, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians view it positively that our long-range drones paid a visit to the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, covering a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. As you know very well, that distance is not the limit of our capabilities,” Zelensky said. Open LetterTo the President of the Russian FederationFrom the President of Ukraine When you came to power in Russia more than 26 years ago, many people in Ukraine viewed you positively. That is how it was. But that is now in the past.Now, the overwhelming majority of… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 4, 2026 “Whatever you may say about NATO, geopolitics, or the Russian language, this war is your personal choice — a war without a real cause. That is how history will remember it. Those years could have been very different. We often hear that you are comfortable with this war. Of course, not in those cases when it comes to the security of your residence in Valdai or your parade in Moscow. Your own life is valuable to you,” Zelensky continued. “But now we can all see that Russians are finally becoming less comfortable with this reality — with the fact that the war is bringing more and more negative consequences to Russia. They do not like our drones and missiles. They do not like gasoline shortages and constantly rising prices. They do not like constant restrictions. They do not like your intention to launch a second wave of mobilization in order to expand the war into another direction in Ukraine or to use it against other countries neighboring Russia. They do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war,” he added. But now we can all see that Russians are finally becoming less comfortable with this reality — with the fact that the war is bringing more and more negative consequences to Russia.They do not like our drones and missiles.They do not like gasoline shortages and constantly rising… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 4, 2026 CNN shared further: Zelensky called for a direct meeting with Putin to end the war and stressed that peace shouldn’t wait until the US turned its attention from Iran to the Ukraine-Russia war. “We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting,” he wrote, adding that it should take place in a third country and that a clear date should be set. During those meetings, Zelensky said a full ceasefire needs to be in place. “An attempt to establish real silence is the best way to begin talking to one another.” “Yesterday, I received a report on the losses of your army on the front in Ukraine during May. Once again, the number exceeded 30,000 Russian soldiers killed and seriously wounded. We have been maintaining that level month after month, and we have video confirmation of every one of your losses — these are not empty claims. We know that 63 percent of your battlefield losses are killed, while only 37 percent are wounded. In the 21st century, no army can afford such a ratio. And the share of those killed will continue to grow. It is not as if we in Ukraine are concerned about the fate of Russian soldiers after everything your war has brought to our country. But I do care about Ukrainians,” Zelensky said. “We are losing our people, and every loss is painful to us. Even when the ratio of Ukrainian losses to Russian losses is one to five or one to six, it still matters greatly. It also matters that you regularly postpone, every few months, your own deadlines for capturing our regions — especially the Donetsk region. And you will not capture it this year either. But we in Ukraine do not want a permanent war. We know very well that life without war is infinitely better. And we want to achieve that. I am convinced that the majority of Russians would respond positively to this as well — and you know it,” he continued. We are losing our people, and every loss is painful to us. Even when the ratio of Ukrainian losses to Russian losses is one to five or one to six, it still matters greatly.It also matters that you regularly postpone, every few months, your own deadlines for capturing our regions… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 4, 2026 “Enough of war. Ukraine proposes to end this war,” Zelensky said. “I am proposing a meeting. Everyone heard your representatives, smiling, say that I could supposedly come to Moscow. But after these 26 years, there is nothing for a Ukrainian leader to do in your capital — just as there is nothing for a Russian leader to do in Kyiv. There are countries that have traditionally hosted leaders to resolve issues of war and peace. Switzerland, Türkiye, the countries of the Arab world — many are able and willing to host such a meeting,” he continued. I am proposing a meeting.Everyone heard your representatives, smiling, say that I could supposedly come to Moscow. But after these 26 years, there is nothing for a Ukrainian leader to do in your capital — just as there is nothing for a Russian leader to do in Kyiv.There are… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 4, 2026 BBC has more: Speaking to foreign journalists in St Petersburg, without apparently having seen the contents of the letter, Putin said he was “certainly prepared and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine”, but said compromises needed to be made. Putin suggested that as Trump was busy with Iran, the EU could talk Zelensky into surrendering territory. Putin’s longstanding position has been that Ukraine should withdraw from four regions partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – and give up its efforts to join Nato. Ukraine has ruled out ceding territory, saying it would embolden Russia to invade again, as it had in 2022 when it launched its full-scale war eight years after illegally annexing Crimea. Ceasefire negotiations have stalled in recent months, and previous peace talks in Geneva, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul have failed.