Ukraine, Zelensky's open letter to Putin

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

Those years could have been very different.

We often hear that this war is convenient for you. Of course, not when it comes to the security of your residence in Valdai or your parade in Moscow. Your life is dear to you. But now we can all see that the Russians are finally becoming less comfortable with this reality - with the fact that war brings more and more negative consequences to Russia.

They do not like our drones and missiles.

They do not like fuel shortages and constantly rising prices.

They do not like continuous restrictions.

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

They do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war.

Yes, you can still force Russians to live this way. But your resources are shrinking significantly. You will not have enough money or political capital to continue to buy the loyalty of Russians as you have done for the past 26 years. And we will do everything we can to ensure that the world will help bring that moment closer. As you yourself are fond of saying, 'you have to do the math'.

Yesterday I received a report on the losses of your army at the front in Ukraine during the month of May. Once again, the number exceeded 30,000 Russian soldiers killed and seriously wounded. We maintain that level month after month, and we have video confirmation of every one of your losses - these are not claims made out of thin air. We know that 63 per cent of your battlefield losses are dead, while only 37 per cent are wounded. In the 21st century, no army can afford such a ratio. And the casualty ratio will continue to rise. It is not that we in Ukraine are worried about the fate of Russian soldiers, after all that your war has brought to our country. But I am concerned about the Ukrainians.

We are losing our people, and every loss hurts us. Even when the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian losses is one to five or one to six, this still carries enormous weight.

It also matters that you regularly postpone your own deadlines for conquering our regions - in particular the Donetsk region - every few months. And you will not conquer it this year either.

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

Many did not believe that Ukraine would be able to resist for so long. You did not believe it. Neither did those who advised you believe it. It was a mistake. You did not expect total resistance from Ukraine, and you did not foresee that things would go this far. Yet here we all are - in the fifth year of this large-scale war.

Do not be afraid to take the way out of this war. It is the main thing that is being asked of you right now.

Ukraine has preserved its independence. And it will preserve it. Despite all predictions to the contrary. We have united many in the world alongside Ukraine and against you. We found the weapons and funding we needed.

We receive support. You receive sanctions. And this will continue until there is justice for Ukraine - the justice we seek and that can be achieved. We will not allow those who try to convince you that sanctions against Russia will be significantly relaxed, and that support for Ukraine will be significantly reduced, without any substantial change in your position towards Ukraine, to succeed. The example of Orbán shows how those who choose to help Russia in its war against us end up in disgrace.

Ukraine endured harsh winters while you tried to destroy our energy system. We held on - and even in the darkness, the resilience of Ukrainians remained intact.

We brought the war to your territory, and you could not have done it without North Korea's help. You are the first ruler of Russia to turn to Pyongyang for assistance. And today you are totally dependent on China - also a first in the history of Russia.

You thought the Ukrainians would not have the strength to defend themselves. Yet today our people are helping our partners in the Middle East and the Gulf to build their own defences.

You hoped for internal unrest in Ukraine. Instead, it was your own military formations 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, businessmen and propagandists watch with obvious weariness. The world sees it. The world is not tired of Ukraine, as you have long hoped. But there is growing weariness with Russia - even among those in the wider world who help you circumvent sanctions and keep your economy afloat. You can't help but notice it. After 26 years in power, age begins to take its toll. And with time, the weariness towards you will 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 hope that 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 threaten, in one way or another, every country neighbouring Russia. Do you really want to go through all that?

The choice is now yours.

No more war. Ukraine proposes to end this war. This must be done honestly, with dignity, and with guarantees that the war will not be reignited.

We see that the US is completely focused on the Iran issue, and it would be wrong to simply wait for the war in Europe to return to the centre of their attention.

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

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

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

I propose to set a precise date for such a meeting.

We heard that in Alaska you would be promised the resolution of certain issues concerning Ukraine and Europe. But you can see for yourself that Ukrainian and European issues are not decided in Anchorage.

Other agreed participants could be added to the bilateral pathway.

Since the war is taking place in Europe, and since Ukraine needs security guarantees, while you also seek security guarantees for yourself, it would be logical to involve those who can play a genuine role as guarantors.

We believe that Europe must be part of this process - those who really have the ability to influence the situation.

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

We have already experienced many agreements with Russia, including the Minsk agreements, which ultimately failed. That is why we must first find direct answers among ourselves to the questions that remain open, and not hide behind difficult issues through formulas, technical working groups or endless time lost in shuttle diplomacy.

Your war has separated Ukraine and Russia forever. Today's front line is the line from which diplomacy must begin.

Ukraine is ready for a total ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. This is standard practice, and current developments around Iran only confirm this. An attempt to establish a true silence of arms is the best way to start talking to each other. We believe that this would not simply be an attempt, but a real ceasefire - if that is what you want.

You know that the US has the ability to monitor a ceasefire along the line where hostilities stop.

Ukraine is ready for a total exchange of prisoners of war, and this could become a good prologue to the end of the war. Serious steps must be taken for the return of the civilians and children taken away during the war. We must determine what future awaits the generations of Ukrainians and Russians that will come after us.

If you do not personally come to the conclusion that the time has come to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence. We will have those who support us.

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

We can work towards that tiredness.

You can stop your war.

Eternal memory to all those whose lives were cut short by this war.

Glory to Ukraine!