Volodymyr Zelensky just sent Vladimir Putin a message that swings between outstretched hand and sharp elbow. In an open letter published on Thursday, Ukraine's president offered to restart peace talks and even consider a ceasefire—all while ridiculing Russia's battlefield problems, economic strain, and reliance on China, as well as pointedly noting that Putin, 73, has spent roughly half of his long rule waging war on Ukraine. "After 26 years in power, age is beginning to take its toll," the 48-year-old Zelensky snarked, using Putin's age to once again "cast doubt on the stability of Russia's one-man-rule political system," per the New York Times.
"The world has not grown tired of Ukraine, as you long hoped it would. But there is growing fatigue with Russia," Zelensky wrote. The letter, which the AP reports is Zelensky's "first public message ... written directly to Putin" since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, landed amid fresh Ukrainian drone strikes, including one on an oil depot near St. Petersburg, and ahead of Putin's speech at a regional economic forum, per the Times. Zelensky urged talks outside of the stalled process backed by the Trump administration, suggesting a leaders meeting in Switzerland, Turkey, or an Arab country, with European participation.
The message also appeared aimed at US President Trump, whom Zelensky accused of failing to deliver on what he described as a supposed understanding with Putin over Ukraine and Europe. The Kremlin said only that Putin had been briefed on the letter; pro-Kremlin commentators dismissed it as an insult designed to stir unrest inside Russia. Trump, for his part, said it "would be great" if Zelensky and Putin were able to get together, per the AP. "They should get it done," the US president noted.
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