Putin made the comment at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and criticized the letter as containing “elements of rudeness,” according to media reports. He expressed surprise that Ukraine is proposing talks while continuing its drone strike campaign, referring to a May 22 attack on Starobilsk in occupied Luhansk Oblast, where the headquarters of the Russian special forces’ unit Rubicon was located.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin said, had shown him the letter. “Peskov showed me Zelenskyy’s letter yesterday... this paper was again put in front of me this morning, and I looked at it,” Putin said, according to the Telegram reports.
Putin also accused Ukraine of trying to halt a Russian
offensive while saying Russia is interested in “agreements.” He insisted that
Russia’s war aims have not changed, saying they were defined at the start of
the full-scale invasion and “confirmed in June 2024.”