Zelensky proposes direct meeting with Putin and full ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a rare open letter published on Thursday. In the letter, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations. He also suggested an all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war as a possible first step.

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Zelensky wrote that Ukraine wanted to end the war through direct engagement between the two leaders. He said: "Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us - and you. I am proposing a meeting." The letter was published on the Ukrainian presidency's website.

There was no immediate comment from Putin when the letter appeared, and he was reported to be finishing a meeting with foreign journalists in Saint Petersburg. The proposal comes after months in which talks between Russia and Ukraine have been stalled. The supporting material says US-led negotiations have remained effectively frozen because of the Iran war, while previous rounds in Istanbul, Abu Dhabi and Geneva failed to produce a breakthrough on the central issue of territory.

Zelensky has repeatedly argued that only direct talks with Putin can produce an agreement on land and other core disputes. Putin, by contrast, has said he would only meet Zelensky once a peace agreement was ready. The latest move is significant because it again places a possible ceasefire and prisoner exchange at the centre of diplomacy.

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A full ceasefire during negotiations would, if accepted, mark a major shift in the conflict's current trajectory. The proposal also highlights how little progress has been made on the territorial questions that have blocked earlier rounds of talks. For both sides, any meeting would carry political risk as well as potential diplomatic value.

The open letter also reflects the broader pattern of the war's negotiations, in which public statements have often been used to signal readiness for talks while positions remain far apart. Zelensky's call for an all-for-all prisoner exchange is notable because prisoner swaps have been among the few areas where limited practical agreements have sometimes been possible. The letter suggests Kyiv is trying to frame such an exchange as a possible opening step toward wider negotiations.

It also underlines the continuing importance of the two presidents' personal roles in any future settlement. What remains unclear is whether Moscow will respond to the proposal, and if so, on what terms. It is also not clear whether any ceasefire offer would be tied to territorial concessions or other conditions.

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