Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The Ukrainian president suggests that the two leaders meet on neutral ground to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bypassed normal diplomatic channels to contact his rival directly.
In an open letter released on June 4, the Ukrainian leader proposed a face-to-face meeting to end the full-scale invasion.
The timing marks a grim milestone. Zelenskyy pointed out that the Russian president has “spent nearly half of his twenty-six years in power waging war against Ukraine” (counting from the Russian annexation in 2014), shifting their relationship from trade discussions to military losses.
To back his position, Zelenskyy highlighted recent drone strikes hitting a forum in St. Petersburg over 1,000 kilometers away – and that range is not even the limit of what Ukraine can reach, he said.
Counting the cost
The core of the message focused heavily on the human toll, using devastating battlefield data to pressure the Kremlin.
“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 Ukrainian leader framed the ongoing hostilities as an entirely avoidable tragedy caused by a single person.
“Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics, and the Russian language, this war is your personal choice, a war without a real reason,” Zelenskyy said.
Terms of engagement
To start negotiations, Ukraine offered an immediate ceasefire. Zelenskyy suggested that the United States could monitor the front lines while both sides execute an all-for-all prisoner exchange to return deported children.
Instead of meeting in Kyiv or Moscow, he suggested neutral ground like Switzerland or Turkey. However, Moscow dismissed the location change. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Vladimir Putin would see the document but insisted any meeting must happen in Moscow.
This push follows international warnings about hidden casualties. On June 3, 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged young Russians to question state media, warning that Moscow hides massive front-line losses to maintain steady recruitment.
“There is a very high chance you’ll die or be wounded while you’re out there – and odds are that if you are wounded, you’ll be left to suffer in the mud and die,” Rutte said.
