Putin receives Zelensky’s letter, open to dialogue with West: Kremlin

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin received and read an “open letter” from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky overnight, Dmitry Peskov, the Russian President’s Press Secretary has revealed, the country’s leading Tass news agency reported.

Peskov confirmed this in an interview with Izvestia on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

“Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us – and you. I am proposing a meeting,” Zelensky stated in his open letter.

“It would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the centre of its attention,” he added.

He proposed that Switzerland, Turkey and countries of the Arab world host the meetings and resolve issues.

He said many are able and willing to host such a meeting and proposed to set a clear date for such a meeting.

“Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. This is standard practice, and current developments around Iran only reinforce that point. An attempt to establish real silence is the best way to begin talking to one another. We believe it would not simply be an attempt, but a real ceasefire — if that is what you want,” Zelensky noted.

According to Peskov, Putin was also informed about the different reactions of world leaders to the open letter.

The Presidential Press Secretary noted that Russia wants to resume negotiations.

“We still hope that the current pause will eventually be broken. And some contacts will be initiated. Especially since we continue to communicate with the Americans through existing channels,” he said.

“We are not the initiators of this silence. Putin is open to dialogue. Therefore, if Europeans abandon their paradigm of non-communication with Russia, they just need to pick up the phone and dial the number,” he said, noting that the conflict with Ukraine is too complex and would not be resolved easily, Tass reported.

IANS