Ukraine: here is Zelensky’s open letter to Putin

Whatever you may say about NATO, geopolitics or the Russian language, this war is your own personal choice – a war without any real justification. That is how history will remember it.

Those years could have been very different.

We often hear people say that this war suits you down to the ground. Of course, not when it comes to the security of your residence in Valdai or your parade in Moscow. You value your life. But now we can all see that Russians are finally becoming less comfortable with this reality – with the fact that the war is bringing ever more negative consequences for Russia.

They don’t like our drones and missiles.

They are unhappy about the fuel shortage and the ever-rising prices.

They don’t like constant restrictions.

They do not approve of your plan to launch a second wave of mobilisation to expand the war in another direction within Ukraine or to use it against other countries bordering Russia.

They don’t like the fact that there seems to be no end in sight to your war.

Yes, you can still force the Russians to live like this. But your resources are dwindling significantly. You will not have enough money or political capital to continue buying the loyalty of the Russian people as you have done for the past 26 years. And we will do everything we can to ensure that the world helps bring that moment closer. As you yourself like to say: “The accounts must be settled.”

Yesterday I received a report on your army’s casualties at the front in Ukraine during the month of May. Once again, the figure exceeded 30,000 Russian soldiers killed and seriously wounded. We are maintaining that level month after month, and we have video confirmation of every single one of your losses – these are not baseless claims. We know that 63 per cent of your battlefield losses are fatalities, whilst only 37 per cent are wounded. In the 21st century, no army can afford such a ratio. And the casualty rate will continue to rise. It’s not that we in Ukraine are concerned about the fate of Russian soldiers, after all that your war has brought upon our country. But I am concerned for the Ukrainians.

We are losing our people, and every loss hurts us deeply. Even when the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian casualties is one to five or one to six, it still carries a huge weight.

Another factor is that you regularly, every few months, push back your own deadlines for the capture of our regions — in particular the Donetsk region. And you won’t capture it this year either.

But we in Ukraine do not want a permanent state of war. We know full well that life without war is infinitely better. And we want to achieve that. I am convinced that most Russians would respond positively to this – and you know it.

Many people didn’t believe that Ukraine would manage to hold out for so long. You didn’t believe it. Nor did those who advised you. That was a mistake. You didn’t expect Ukraine to put up such a fierce fight, and you didn’t foresee that things would have gone this far. And yet here we all are — in the fifth year of this large-scale war.

Don’t be afraid to take the path out of this war. That is the main thing you are being asked to do right now.

Ukraine has preserved its independence. And it will continue to do so. Despite all the predictions to the contrary. We have rallied many around the world to stand with Ukraine and against you. We have secured the weapons and funding we needed.

We receive support. You face sanctions. And this will continue until justice is done for Ukraine – the justice we seek and which can be achieved. We will not allow those who seek to convince you that sanctions against Russia will be significantly eased, and that support for Ukraine will be significantly reduced, without any substantial change in your stance towards Ukraine, to succeed. Orbán’s example shows how those who choose to help Russia in its war against us end up in disgrace.

Ukraine has weathered harsh winters whilst you tried to destroy our energy system. We have held firm – and even in the darkness, the resilience of the Ukrainian people has remained undiminished.

We have brought the war onto your territory, and you could not have managed it without North Korea’s help. You are the first Russian leader to turn to Pyongyang for assistance. And today you are entirely dependent on China – another first in Russia’s history.

You thought the Ukrainians wouldn’t have the strength to defend themselves. Yet today, our people are helping our partners in the Middle East and the Gulf to build up their defences.

You were hoping for internal unrest in Ukraine. Instead, it was your own military units that staged a mutiny against you. 23 June will mark another anniversary of that event, and silence will not erase this fact from history.

And now it is you whom your own officials, businesspeople and propagandists are looking at with obvious weariness. The world sees it. The world has not grown tired of Ukraine, as you have long hoped. But weariness with Russia is growing — even among those in the wider world who help you circumvent sanctions and keep your economy afloat. You cannot fail to notice this. After 26 years in power, your age is beginning to show. And as time goes on, the weariness with you can only grow.

We have seen intelligence reports showing that you are now considering plans to continue the war until 2027 and 2028. We also know that you are hoping ballistic missiles will achieve for you what everything else has failed to achieve. You want to drag Belarus even deeper into this war, and now we are forced to prepare for that as well. We see that you are trying to orchestrate something around Transnistria. Your propagandists are threatening, in one way or another, every country bordering Russia. Do you really want to go through all this?

The choice is now yours.

Enough of this war. Ukraine proposes to bring this war to an end. This must be done honestly, with dignity, and with guarantees that the war will not be reignited.

We can see that the United States is entirely focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be a mistake to simply expect the war in Europe to return to the forefront of its attention.

Ukraine proposes to end this war through a direct dialogue between us – and you. I propose a meeting.

Everyone has heard your representatives say, with a smile, that I might supposedly come to Moscow. But after these 26 years, there is nothing a Ukrainian leader has to do in your capital — just as there is nothing a Russian leader has to do in Kyiv. There are countries that have traditionally hosted leaders to resolve matters of war and peace. Switzerland, Turkey, the countries of the Arab world – many are able and willing to host such a meeting.

It is leaders who resolve the fundamental issues. It has always been that way, and always will be.

I suggest we set a specific date for that meeting.

We’ve heard that in Alaska you were promised that certain issues concerning Ukraine and Europe would be resolved. But you can see for yourself that Ukrainian and European issues aren’t decided in Anchorage.

Other participants, as agreed, may join the bilateral process that will be established between us.

Since the war is taking place in Europe, and since Ukraine needs security guarantees – just as you yourself are seeking security guarantees – it would make sense to involve those who can play a genuine role as guarantors.

We believe that Europe must be part of this process — those who are truly in a position to influence the situation.

We also believe that the United States should be part of the process. This is what could help shape a new security architecture for our part of the world.

We have already seen many agreements with Russia, including the Minsk agreements, which ultimately failed. That is why we must first find direct answers amongst ourselves to the questions that remain unresolved, rather than hiding behind difficult issues through formulas, technical working groups or endless time wasted on shuttle diplomacy.

Your war has torn Ukraine and Russia apart forever. Today’s front line is the starting point for diplomacy.

Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. This is standard practice, and current developments regarding Iran only serve to confirm this. An attempt to establish a genuine ceasefire is the best way to start talking to one another. We believe that this would not simply be an attempt, but a genuine ceasefire — if that is what you want.

Did you know that the United States has the capability to monitor a ceasefire along the line where hostilities cease?

Ukraine is ready for a full exchange of prisoners of war, and this could serve as a positive first step towards ending the war. Serious measures must be taken to ensure the return of civilians and children who were taken away during the war. We must determine what future lies ahead for the generations of Ukrainians and Russians who will come after us.

Unless you come to the conclusion yourself that the time has come to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its very existence. We will have those who support us.

But you, too, will have to fight much harder for your very existence — not Russia’s, but your own. And this is not a threat from me or from Ukraine. It is a fact of Russian history that you know well: when Russia grows weary, change comes.

We can work towards that point of exhaustion.

You can put an end to your own war.

May those whose lives were cut short by this war rest in peace.

Glory to Ukraine!