Addressing the EU intergovernmental conference in Chisinau, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had offered to meet with Putin “anywhere” to reach real agreements to end the war, but that Russia had declined. He said Ukraine also discussed with the United States and France the idea of a meeting on the sidelines of the ongoing G7 summit in Evian, but Putin again refused.
“Yesterday we discussed with President Trump that such a meeting could be organized in the United States, in a format in which it would be much harder for Putin to refuse, at least to President Trump,” Zelenskyy said.
“We’ll see what comes of it. If Russia refuses this opportunity [to negotiate], additional pressure will be needed.”
On June 4, Zelenskyy published an open letter to Putin urging an end to the war “in a format between you and us” and offering a face-to-face meeting.
The European Union and the United States welcomed Zelenskyy’s initiative. Putin responded to the letter saying he “did not see the point” in meeting and suggested the letter contained “elements of rudeness.”
On June 11, Bloomberg reported that European leaders
planned to use G7 meetings with Trump to try to involve him in efforts to
revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.