Zelensky Writes to Putin, Kremlin Says: Come to Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky moved the push to end the war onto the terrain of direct communication with the Kremlin, publishing an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his official website on June 4. In it, he proposes direct negotiations and a personal meeting between the two leaders, a format Moscow has so far declined. For Serbia, which balances its European perspective against traditional ties with Russia, any shift toward the negotiating table reshapes the diplomatic context in which Belgrade pursues its own policy of neutrality.

Moscow’s reply came quickly and guardedly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had not yet seen the letter and repeated Russia’s earlier position that a meeting is possible only on Russian terms. That left the Ukrainian proposal of a neutral venue unconfirmed, and returned the initiative to Kyiv with a message that reads more like a condition than an invitation.

What Zelensky Offers in the Letter

The contents of the letter go beyond a symbolic gesture. Zelensky sets out a concrete package of concessions and mechanisms that, in Kyiv’s view, would allow serious negotiations to begin.

• A full ceasefire for the duration of the talks, as a precondition for sitting down.
• A prisoner exchange on an all-for-all basis, without selective lists.
• A venue in a third country, with Turkey or Switzerland named as options.
• Guarantees from the United States and Europe as an external framework binding both sides to honor any deal.

The choice of Turkey or Switzerland is not accidental. Ankara has already hosted early rounds of talks and keeps channels open with both sides, while Switzerland offers a neutral tradition and the institutional capacity to mediate. The mention of American and European guarantees shows that Kyiv is not seeking a private bilateral deal but a multilateral framework in which the transatlantic link would serve as guarantor.

Has Moscow Actually Opened the Door to Talks?

The Kremlin has formally left room for dialogue, but tied it to its own terms. Peskov’s phrasing shifts the burden onto Kyiv and turns the negotiations into a question of place and form rather than substance.

“Zelensky can come to Moscow if he wants talks,” said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman.

Putin himself, according to earlier messages from Moscow, maintains that he has not refused negotiations, yet says no meeting is in sight. The gap between those two positions is decisive. Zelensky wants neutral ground and external guarantees, while Moscow offers its own capital as the only venue, which Kyiv rejects as a lopsided concession. With the two sides already split over where to meet, how realistic is any agreement on the substance of the war?