Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a proposal by his Ukrainian counterpart to meet for face-to-face talks to end the war as senseless, calling for the country's military to "do the job."
"I see no point in meeting. It only makes sense for the Ukrainian side," Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 5, adding that a potential cease-fire would only help Kyiv to stop Russian ground offensives.
The comments come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published anopen letterurging Putin to stop the war, now well into its fifth year, and indicating that Kyiv has no intention of giving up the lasting fight.
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"Ukraine is ready for a full cease-fire for the duration of the negotiations," Zelenskyy wrote, suggesting the situation along the stalled front line would not change in Russia's favor in the foreseeable future.
Following Putin's remarks rejecting a meeting, Zelenskyy said, "Unfortunately, the Russian side is choosing war again -- everyone heard today's response."
"A weak response. He simply doesn't want to end the war," Zelenskyy added.
Diplomatic efforts led by US President Donald Trump's administration have stalled in recent months, as Washington has focused on the war against Iran and the turmoil in the Middle East.
Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart in their negotiating terms, with Kremlin sticking to its hard-line stance and offering no compromise on control of Ukraine's key eastern region of Donetsk.
Fighting on the front line, meanwhile, has shown no signs of easing.
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Experts say Russia's latest offensives have yielded little to no territorial gains for Moscow, and for the first time in years, Ukrainian forces recaptured more territory than they lost.
"You regularly postpone, every few months, your own deadlines for capturing our regions -- especially the Donetsk region. And you will not capture it this year either," Zelenskyy said in his letter.
Putin, meanwhile, has claimed that the Russian army was still advancing in Ukraine.
At the forum, he reiterated: "[Military actions] will end once we have achieved the goals we have set for ourselves."
