Putin's response to Zelensky's open letter: rudeness.

On 5 June 2026, according to information from the International Times of CCTV, Russian President Vladimir Putin, while attending the plenary session of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, responded to an open letter issued the previous day by President Zelensky of Ukraine, stating that the open letter was “gruesome”. Putin also stated that the meeting with Zelensky now “has no meaning”.

Russian President Putin

Earlier, on 4 June, President Zelensky of Ukraine had publicly written to Putin proposing a face-to-face meeting in a third country to end the fighting.

In this open letter, published on the Ukrainian President’s website, Zelensky wrote that the United States, now focused on Iran, should not wait for the “war in Europe” to become a new focus for the US.

Zelensky stated that it would not be appropriate for the leaders of the Russian Federation to meet in Moscow or Kiev, but that they could meet in Switzerland, Turkey or the Arab States, which have a tradition of receiving foreign leaders “to solve the problems of war and peace”. He said that the U.S. was ready to implement a comprehensive ceasefire during the negotiations and that the United States was in a position to monitor it. A comprehensive exchange of prisoners of war between the two sides could be a good start to ending the fighting. However, if Putin does not think that it is time to end the war, Ukraine will continue to fight for survival.

Zelensky ' s open letter received some positive responses internationally. On 4 June, the President of the United States of America, Trump, stated that a meeting between Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky would be “very good”. At a regular press conference on 5 June, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Diyarik, expressed the support of the United Nations for an equal negotiated settlement of the conflict and a ceasefire between the two countries in an open letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine and in an expression of the will of Russian President Putin for peace talks.

President Zylinski of Ukraine

Russian sources also reported that following the publication of Zelensky ' s open letter to Putin, Swiss and Turkish sources had revealed that both countries were willing to organize a meeting of Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

Putin, for his part, expressed the Russian side ' s full readiness and willingness to reach a peaceful agreement with Ukraine on the basis of the Russian-American conference at St. Petersburg when he met with the heads of the world ' s leading news agencies at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. According to Putin, Russia agreed to compromise on Ukraine as agreed at the Ankara meeting, provided that Ukraine was prepared to do the same.

According to prior sources, the Russian side, during its meeting in Ankara, had requested the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas region; Ukraine had not joined NATO and was in a position of permanent neutrality; and Western countries were not allowed to remain in the country.

In response to the questions posed by the facilitators at the plenary meeting of the twenty-ninth St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin stated that his meeting with Zelensky was premised on the need to find a solution to the conflict. He said that what Russia needed was a long-term agreement, not a short-term pause in the conflict.

The Russian-Ukrainian front.

What signal did this Russian-Ukrainian statement send? Will the Russian-Uu conflict turn the corner? Zhang Hong, a researcher at the Russian Institute for Central Asia in Eastern Europe of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expressed his view that Ukraine had recently repeatedly proposed a Russian-Uu summit meeting, possibly with a dual diplomatic and security perspective. First of all, it is hoped that the meeting of the Teo-Uu leaders will attract the continued attention of the United States and Europe to Ukraine. Secondly, it is also hoped that the summit meeting in Tiou will seek some military and security breathing time. Ukraine is now in a difficult military and security phase, and the army is very tired. If a Russian-Uu summit meeting could be held, at least on the issue of prisoner exchange or on the issue of a temporary ceasefire, some opportunities could be sought for Ukraine.

Zhang Hong believes that, of course, Russia sees the intentions of Ukraine, and the Russian side suggests that the meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders must be negotiated on the basis of the consensus reached between Russia and the United States at the meeting in Ankrechi, Alaska, United States of America, which would mean that Ukraine would agree to a road map of territory for peace. At present, Zelensky is unlikely to agree to the Russian offer, so the possibility of a meeting of the heads of State in Russia in the short term is not very high.

The exchange of fire between Russian and Ukrainian forces continued. On 5 June, the Russian Ministry of Defence informed that, during the past week, the Russian army had carried out a large-scale attack and six cluster strikes using long-range high-precision weapons and attack drones. The Russian air defence system shot down 3084 fixed-wing drones within a week. In addition, the Russian forces control two settlements in the direction of Donetsk and Zaporoj. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also informed on 5 June that 273 fighting had occurred in the front-line area over the past day. The UAF, missile forces and artillery attacked the Russian army ' s assembly areas, command posts and artillery systems and shot down 2046 Russian drones.

Extend Reading

The twenty-ninth St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was held in St. Petersburg, Russia ' s second largest city, from 3 to 6 June, local time. According to Russian RBC television, Russian President Putin addressed the plenary of the Forum and responded to questions from participants.

Referring to the revolutionary change in the battlefield of drone combat, Putin stated that “on the battlefield, the two sides remain generally equal, but in some directions we have some advantages”.

On 5 June, local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the plenary session of the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Eastern IC

The Army has repeatedly used long-range fixed-wing drones against Russian inner targets. Putin also made a special reference to this point, according to the transcripts published by the Kremlin. He said: “If relevant decisions were taken earlier and the corresponding defence capabilities were enhanced in a timely manner, such drones would not have posed such a serious threat. After all, they are low-altitude, low-speed targets.”

“It is true that new types of drones using jet engines have emerged, but even so, in principle, there are still effective counter-measures and repressive measures against such means of combat, the threat of which can be controlled and defused.”

According to Putin, unlike the Ukrainian army, Russia has all the necessary conditions for development on its own: resource potential, educational institutions and human resources, a developed industrial system, and the capacity to carry out the various armaments programmes of the Russian Federation.

He stressed that the Russian Ministry of Industry and Defence was fully engaged in scientific research and was fully capable of guaranteeing the Russian armed forces the various types of equipment required for their operations.

Putin notes that many modern weapons, including drones, have arrived in Ukraine from Western countries and that the Ukrainian side needs only to complete its assembly. Despite attempts by the Ukrainian side to develop relevant products on its own, few results have been achieved.

“The other party does not have the capacity to produce all types of strike weapons as autonomously as Russia, which includes high ultrasonic weapons, spectral cruise missiles and a variety of strike equipment not available in other countries, such as the `silver tree' medium-range weapon, which is widely discussed”, he added, “we are also developing other strike weapons.”

It is worth mentioning that Putin made this statement in response to the question posed by the former Austrian Foreign Minister, Karin Kneser. Knisser himself has a strong relationship with Putin.

Kneser served as the Minister for European and International Affairs of the Austrian Federal Government from 2017 to 2019, dealing with foreign affairs. In 2018, Putin was invited to attend her wedding and gave expensive sapphire earrings as a gift. In addition to being a senior diplomatic official, she is also an energy analyst and an expert on the Middle East.

Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria, Karin Kneser. Russian video clip

In 2023, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs moved dramatically and eventually settled in St. Petersburg, Russia. According to Kneser, there is a “de facto ban on her work” in Austria because of her pro-Russian and close ties to Putin.

She also complains that she moved to France first from Austria and then to Lebanon “not involuntarily” because she felt that she had been politically persecuted in the European Union and that her life had been “damaged”.

At the same meeting, Knasser first thanked Russia for its acceptance and for having been able to settle and work in Russia. She mocked herself that, although she had not lived long in Russia, in the eyes of the West, she had “worked for Russia 40 years ago” and that the tone was full of laughter.

She then asked questions about the rules governing new types of armaments, such as drones, and the operational limitation.

It was also reported by the Associated Press that Putin, in an interview with the media on the same day, admitted that the UAV attack had caused damage to Russia. He stated that the Russian side would upgrade its air defence forces against the Ukrainian offensive.

Turning to drone strikes, Putin said, “Unfortunately, some drones have breached our line of defence. Russia has air defence systems, but we need to optimize and strengthen them, and we will do the same.”

During his meeting with the heads of international news agencies, Putin also revealed that the Russian side was willing to compromise on the Russian-Ukrainian issue in the light of the consensus reached at the previous meeting with United States President Trump in Ankrechi, Alaska.

He added that only by accepting the consensus could Ukraine reach an agreement to end the conflict, which had lasted for five years. It was emphasized that what Moscow wanted was a comprehensive settlement, not a temporary truce.

“There is no need to cease hostilities in order to start negotiations”, Putin said, “Of course, the Ukrainian side wants us to stop the advance of the Russian army. But it is best to end the war by accepting the compromise that was discussed in Ankara.”