Foreign & Public Diplomacy

Russia’s War in Ukraine

Understanding the conflict four years on.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at stalled Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the European Union’s potential expansion, and U.S. sanctions on Cuba.

‘I Am Proposing a Meeting’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday offering to hold in-person negotiations on ending the war between their two countries.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at stalled Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the European Union’s potential expansion, and U.S. sanctions on Cuba.

‘I Am Proposing a Meeting’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday offering to hold in-person negotiations on ending the war between their two countries.

With U.S. negotiators having so far failed to secure a lasting cease-fire in the war, FP’s Sam Skove reported last month that both Russia and Ukraine have soured on Washington as a mediator and begun looking for alternatives. In his letter, Zelensky suggests cutting out the middlemen altogether.

“We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention,” Zelensky wrote. “Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us—and you. I am proposing a meeting.

However, the rare direct address wasn’t all diplomatic niceties. Zelensky oscillated between championing Kyiv’s resilience and mocking the 73-year-old Russian leader, from his age (“After 26 years in power, age is beginning to take its toll. And with time, the fatigue with you will only grow”) to his reliance on North Korea and China for support (“You are the first ruler of Russia to turn to Pyongyang for assistance”).

Zelensky also called out Moscow’s shrinking resources, citing Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities. “You will not have enough money or political capital to keep buying the loyalty of Russians the way you have for the past 26 years,” he........

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