Russia-Ukraine war: Putin dismisses Zelensky's offer to meet, calls his letter ‘boorish’ after May 22 drone attack

Key points

• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday turned down a proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting aimed at discussing the conflict that has continued for more than four years, saying such a meeting would serve no purpose.
• The proposal was outlined in a letter sent by Zelensky on Thursday, the first publicly known direct communication from the Ukrainian leader to Putin since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in 2022. In the message, Zelensky slammed Putin’s lengthy tenure in power and also included remarks targeting the Russian leader’s age.
• Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin described Zelensky's public letter proposing a direct meeting as “boorish.” “Is it a way to create conditions for personal meetings and talks, or create an environment which makes any personal meetings impossible?” Putin said during a question-and-answer session at the forum.
• “I think it’s the second," he stated,...