“Decided for war”
Putin rejects Zelensky’s offer – he responds
June 5, 2026 – 8:19 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Ukrainian President Zelenskyj offers a meeting with Kremlin leader Putin – shortly before the Russian head of state gives a speech to a large audience. Putin reacts and continues to be confident of victory.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has rejected a direct meeting offered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I don’t see any point in it yet,” said the Kremlin chief at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. Before such a summit, agreements would first have to be made for a lasting solution to the war that has been going on since 2022. The open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, published in Kiev the day before, also contained “elements of impudence,” Putin said.
The best response to the letter is a call to the Russian military: “Get to work, brothers!” The whole country is watching the Russian army. At the same time, Putin declared that he would stick to the war goals he had set. “We have set ourselves the goal of liberating Donbass. There is no doubt – we will achieve this,” emphasized the Kremlin chief. The Luhansk region has been completely under Russian control since the beginning of April. In the neighboring Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops control “less than 15 percent.” The Ukrainian military has already denied the figures given by Putin.
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Zelensky called Putin’s response “weak” and said Russia had “decided on war again.” The day before, Zelensky Putin had offered direct peace talks in a third country to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. In the letter, the 48-year-old alluded, among other things, to the advanced age of the 73-year-old Kremlin chief and emphasized recent Ukrainian successes in drone strikes on targets in the Russian hinterland. However, the personal meeting is necessary to clarify “key questions”.
The federal government welcomed Zelenskyj’s offer. “We also share President Zelensky’s view that representatives from Europe and the United States should also be involved in talks with Russia,” said deputy government spokesman Sebastian Hille.
Putin is confident of victory
At the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Putin was confident of victory. The Ukrainian counterpart in particular has problems, he said in a press conference for foreign news agencies, including the German Press Agency.
However, many Russians expect that Putin will show solutions to the pent-up problems in his own country from his speech in front of a large audience. At the event, he traditionally answered questions that also revolved around the Ukraine war. In the fifth year of the war, Russia is confronted with a slump in growth and ongoing Western sanctions. Nevertheless, the Kremlin wants to demonstrate economic strength at the forum.
