Zelensky Calls for End to War: An Open Letter to Putin

The President of Ukraine called on the Kremlin dictator to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has written an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, calling for an end to the war and direct negotiations at the leadership level.

A split image featuring two leaders: on the left, a man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a black shirt, looks thoughtfully towards the right side; on the right, an older man with light hair, dressed in a blue suit, is speaking while holding a document.

Zelensky recalled that when Putin led Russia more than 26 years ago, many in Ukraine had a positive attitude towards him, but, according to him, “that is already in the past.”

“Now the absolute majority of Ukrainians perceive positively the fact that our long-range drones visited the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, having overcome a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. As you well know, this distance is not the limit of our capabilities,” the Ukrainian leader noted.

He emphasized that Putin’s 26 years in power “completely changed the agenda in relations between Ukraine and Russia,” saying that “from discussions of trade turnover” the nations “moved to the topic of exclusively hits and losses.” In addition, as the Ukrainian president noted, Putin spent almost half of these 26 years in the war against Ukraine.

War without a real reason

Addressing the Kremlin ruler, Zelensky declared that this war was his personal choice – “a war without a real reason.”

“We often hear that war suits you. Of course, not in cases where it is about the security of your residence in Valdai or a parade in Moscow. Your own life is valuable to you. But now we all see that this finally ceases to suit the Russians – that the war gives more and more negativity to Russia,” the Ukrainian president noted.

In the letter, he stated that Russians do not like Ukrainian drones and missiles, gasoline shortages, rising prices, constant bans, plans to organize a second wave of mobilization…

“Yes, you can still force the Russians to exist like this. But your resources are significantly reduced. You will not have enough money and political power to continue to buy the loyalty of the Russians, as you have done for 26 years. We will do everything to ensure that the world takes care of this,” Zelensky promised.

Losses in the war

The President of Ukraine announced that he had received a report on the losses of the Russian army on the front in Ukraine in May, and “this is again over 30 thousand killed and seriously wounded Russians.”

“We keep exactly this indicator every month, and we have video confirmation of each of your losses – this is not unfounded. We know that of your losses at the front, 63 percent are killed, and only 37 percent are wounded,” he noted.

At the same time, he says, every loss hurts Ukraine, saying, “even if the level of Ukrainian losses is one to five or one to six compared to Russian losses, it still has great significance.”

“We in Ukraine do not want a permanent war. We know very well that it is immeasurably better without war. We want to achieve this. I am sure that the majority of Russians are ready to give a positive answer to this, and you know this,” he addressed Putin.

Ukraine survived

Zelensky noted that many, including Putin, did not believe that Ukraine would survive, and in the meantime it retains its independence “and will retain it, despite any other predictions.”

“We get support, you get sanctions. And it will continue like this until there is justice for Ukraine, which we want and which can be achieved. We will not allow those who are trying to convince you that sanctions against Russia will be significantly weakened and that support for Ukraine will be significantly reduced without significant changes in your position on Ukraine to succeed. Orban’s example demonstrates the shame that those who choose to help Russia in its war against us end up with,” the president said.

He recalled that Ukraine went through difficult winters when Russia tried to destroy its energy sector, “and even in the darkness, the resilience of Ukrainians remained.”

“The world is not tired of Ukraine, which you have long counted on. But there is fatigue from Russia, even among those in the global world who help you circumvent sanctions and keep the economy afloat. You cannot help but notice this. After 26 years, old age has begun to take its toll. The further along, the greater the fatigue from you,” President Putin warned.

Proposal to end the war

Zelensky said that he knows from intelligence that Putin is now considering war plans for 2027 and 2028, that he wants to drag Belarus into the war, that he is “playing some game with Transnistria.”

“Your propagandists are threatening all of Russia’s neighbors in one way or another. Do you really want to go through all this? The choice is yours now. Enough of the war. Ukraine offers to end this war. We must do it honestly, with dignity, and guarantee that there will be no new outbreak of war,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy offers Putin a meeting

“Everyone heard your representatives, smiling, saying that I could come to Moscow. But after 26 years, the Ukrainian leader in your capital, like the Russian leader in Kyiv, has nothing to do,” the president wrote.

According to him, such a meeting could take place in Switzerland, Turkey, and the countries of the Arab world.

“It is the leaders who decide key issues – it has always been and will always be so. I propose to set a clear date for the meeting,” he noted.

The President of Ukraine emphasized that other designated participants, in particular Europe, may join the launched “bilateral track”.

“We believe that Europe’s participation is needed – those who really have the ability to influence the situation. We believe that the United States should be in the process, and this is what can determine the configuration of the new security architecture in our part of the world,” the Ukrainian leader wrote.

Ukraine is ready to cease fire

According to him, “Ukraine is ready to cease fire completely – for the time when negotiations continue,” he said, “this is standard practice, which is now confirmed by the circumstances surrounding Iran.”

Zelensky also recalled that Ukraine is ready to exchange prisoners of war on the principle of “all for all”, “and this could be a good prologue to the end of the war.”

“If you personally do not come to the idea in your thoughts that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence. We will have those who will support us. But you will also have to fight much more for your existence – not Russia’s, but your personal one. And this is not a threat from me or Ukraine. These are facts of Russian history that you know well: when Russia gets tired, changes occur,” Zelensky warned Putin.

(c)UNIAN 2026