Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he currently sees no reason to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Putin made the remarks on Friday, June 5, during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Responding to a question about a recent letter from Zelensky, Putin did not address the letter directly. Instead, he praised Russian troops fighting on the front lines of the war in Ukraine.
“The whole country is proud of you and places its hopes in you. Continue your work,” Putin said.
When asked whether he intended to meet Zelensky, the Russian president replied: “At the moment, I see no reason for that.”
His comments come after Zelensky previously called for a direct meeting with Putin to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has continued since February 2022, and diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
