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Zelenskyy Issues Open Letter to Putin Offering Path Out of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issues an open letter to the President of the Russian Federation, formally proposing a meeting to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In the letter, published on June 4, Zelenskyy argues that after 26 years of the Russian President's tenure, the relationship between the two nations has devolved from trade discussions to a focus on military losses. Zelenskyy notes that almost half of those 26 years are marked by war, and he urges the Russian leadership to abandon the current path.
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The President of Ukraine highlights significant military developments, specifically referencing recent long-range drone strikes that reach a forum in St. Petersburg, covering a distance of over 1,000 kilometers. He asserts that this range is not the limit of Ukraine's capabilities.
"Yesterday, I received a report on the losses of your army on the front in Ukraine in May. It is again over 30,000 killed and severely wounded Russians. We maintain exactly this figure every month, and for every one of your losses, we have video confirmation—this is not an unsubstantiated claim. We know that in your losses on the front, 63% are killed, and only 37% are wounded. In the 21st century, armies cannot afford such a balance. In the future, the share of the killed will increase," Zelenskyy said.
The President expresses his readiness to initiate a ceasefire for the duration of negotiations, suggesting that the United States could monitor the line of contact. He also proposes an exchange of prisoners based on an all-for-all principle, as well as the return of deported civilians and children.
"Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics, and the Russian language, this war is your personal choice—a war without a real reason," Zelenskyy said.
They [the Russians] do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The Ukrainian President suggests that a meeting could be held in neutral nations such as Switzerland, Turkey, or countries in the Arab world, rather than in Moscow or Kyiv. He indicates that the United States and European partners should be involved to serve as security guarantors in a new regional architecture.
In response to the letter, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Vladimir Putin would be informed about the document later. Peskov reiterated the previous Russian position that if Zelenskyy wants a meeting, he can travel to Moscow.
During a press conference in Kyiv on June 3, 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a direct appeal to young Russians, urging them to critically examine the information provided by their government regarding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He highlighted the grim reality of the war, noting that Moscow obscured the true scale of human losses to maintain a steady flow of recruits to the front lines. He warned that young recruits were frequently deceived and deployed with insufficient training, stressing that these losses represented tens of thousands of individual lives lost.
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