5th June 2026 – (Washington) The United States has welcomed the prospect of direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, with President Donald Trump calling for both sides to make concessions to halt the long-running conflict. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump said it would be “great” if the leaders met, noting that Washington has been closely involved in efforts to encourage dialogue. He declined to specify what compromises might be on the table.
Zelensky earlier issued an open letter inviting Putin to a face‑to‑face meeting, arguing that peace can only be achieved through direct engagement and proposing a full ceasefire during negotiations. He warned it would be wrong to wait for the war in Europe to regain the full attention of the United States, and suggested neutral venues such as Switzerland or Turkey.
The Kremlin confirmed receipt of the letter and reiterated that Zelensky would be welcome to meet Putin in Moscow. Putin, speaking in St Petersburg, said he was prepared to reach an agreement but again set out long‑standing demands, including Kyiv’s withdrawal from partially occupied regions and abandoning its NATO ambitions—conditions Ukraine has repeatedly rejected.
With previous rounds of talks in Geneva, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul failing to produce a breakthrough, Zelensky’s new appeal underlined the mounting human and economic toll of the conflict. He said Ukrainians were bearing the brunt of continued fighting, while pointing to growing fatigue inside Russia amid drone strikes, fuel shortages and rising prices.