Putin says he "doesn't see the point" in a personal meeting with Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he saw no point in holding a personal meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Putin made the statement during a plenary session of the 29th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), when responding to a question about the possibility of meeting Zelensky.

On Thursday, Zelensky released a letter proposing a face-to-face meeting with Putin, with the participation of Europe and the United States, to discuss the peace process.

The Ukrainian president also asked for a date to be set for the meeting and stated that Ukraine is willing to implement a complete ceasefire throughout the negotiation period.

Putin said he never refused to meet with Zelensky, but that he is against "beating around the issue".

According to him, Russia does not need short-term agreements, but rather understandings aimed at "a long-range historical perspective", with solutions previously defined before such a meeting takes place.

"I have already said that I do not see the point in a meeting. The only objective would be for the Ukrainian side to try to stop the advance of our armed forces - that's all. But we need agreements that do not last six months or three months, but that have a long-term historical perspective. Let the experts do their work, find some solutions, and only after that we can meet. As I said before, when it comes to signing certain documents or even putting anything on paper, we must first find a solution. And that is the most important thing here," Putin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Zelensky could go to Moscow whenever he wanted if he wanted to hold talks with Putin.

Putin also stated that the military operation in Ukraine will come to an end when Russia achieves the established objectives.

Regarding the several rounds of sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and Europe, Putin stated that they caused more damage to the countries that applied them than to Russia itself, adding that the Russian economy continues to develop despite the conflict and sanctions.

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Source: CNN