Putin rebuffs Zelensky's call for face-to-face talks at St. Petersburg forum, sees 'no point'

Russian President Vladimir Putin turned down Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's offer for in-person talks, saying he saw 'no point' in such a meeting for now, in remarks delivered at Russia's flagship St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 5, 2026.

The rebuff came a day after Zelensky published an open letter appealing for a face-to-face meeting to negotiate an end to the four-year war; in it Zelensky argued Russians were 'becoming less comfortable' with the war's mounting costs. Per Pravda, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov twice attempted to show Putin the letter before he read it; Putin said he had 'only briefly reviewed' it and saw no value in an 'empty-to-vacant' meeting, while insisting he had never refused to meet Zelensky.

Al Jazeera and OANN reported Putin characterized the letter as 'rude'/'boorish.' Putin separately argued any leader's time in office must follow constitutional rules — an implicit challenge to Zelensky's legitimacy — and pushed back on claims of Russian isolation. Zelensky responded in his nightly address that the rejection showed the Kremlin was 'once again choosing war,' calling it 'a weak response.' Putin also rejected European states as neutral mediators, citing their arming of Kyiv.