Putin rejects Zelenskyy’s offer to meet and reaffirms Ukraine war aims

Key points

• Russian president describes Ukrainian counterpart’s letter as rude and says he sees no point in face-to-face talks Vladimir Putin has rejected an offer from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hold a face-to-face meeting, insisting instead that Russia will achieve its war goals in Ukraine, including seizing all of the eastern Donbas region.
• Speaking at the St Petersburg economic forum, the Russian president described the open letter from his Ukrainian counterpart containing the offer as rude.
• He refused to use Zelenskyy’s name, referring to him only as its author.
• Asked if they could meet to discuss an end to the conflict, Putin replied: “So far I see no point.” Continue reading...