Zelenskyy Proposes End-of-War Talks with Putin: "Let's Meet in the U.S. or France"

As U.S. President Donald Trump turns his attention back to mediating an end to the war in Ukraine following a peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks in the United States or France to end the conflict.
According to Reuters on June 15 (local time), President Zelenskyy told reporters at a monastery in Kyiv, which was damaged by a Russian overnight attack, that he agreed to a plan for the U.S. to push for a meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
He emphasized that since both President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron are attending the G7 summit, it would be a "very good opportunity to meet all together" in a setting where "Europe and the U.S. are present."
However, President Zelenskyy argued that "while Europe and the U.S. have agreed, Russia has once again shown that it is not ready to talk."
He later stated via Telegram that during a phone call with President Trump the previous day, he had also proposed a format where he and President Putin could meet in the United States.
"At the very least, it would be a format that would be much harder for Putin to reject President Trump's proposal," President Zelenskyy said, adding, "If Russia rejects even this opportunity, greater pressure will be needed."
The proposal came as President Trump, at the G7 summit in France that day, touted the U.S.-Iran peace deal as an achievement and announced that his next goal would be to end the war in Ukraine.
President Trump stated that he had spoken with both President Zelenskyy and President Putin the previous day, adding, "I think we can probably do something on that, too. They both seem to have an open mind on it."
A Ukrainian official said that President Zelenskyy had conveyed the G7 meeting proposal to the U.S. side and President Macron, and had also directly extended an invitation to the Russian side.
However, the official added that no clear response had been received from Russia.
President Zelenskyy has been calling for peace negotiations more frequently as Ukraine continues to perform well on the battlefield, led by drones and automated weapons.
In particular, he is focusing on highlighting Russia's lack of interest in dialogue by repeatedly proposing direct face-to-face talks with President Putin.
President Putin has been reluctant to meet in person, as he has characterized President Zelenskyy as the leader of neo-Nazi forces and an illegitimate ruler whose presidential term has expired.
Many experts view President Zelenskyy's proposal for face-to-face talks as a strategy to stimulate the peace mediation ambitions of President Trump, who portrays himself as a "peacemaker."
Earlier this month, President Zelenskyy sent an open letter to President Putin, suggesting a direct meeting by stating that the war is increasing the burden on the Russian economy.
However, President Putin has publicly stated that he does not believe such a meeting is necessary.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.