Putin says he “does not see the point” in face-to-face with Zelensky and encourages troops: “Keep working”

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, stated this Friday that he “does not see the point” in meeting face to face with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in response to an open letter in which he proposed a meeting in a neutral country to reach a peace agreement to end the war, and has sent encouragement to the Russian troops on the front. “Keep working,” he said.

Putin was initially evasive during the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) after being asked about Zelensky’s recent letter, in which the Ukrainian president made it clear that Europe should be part of the peace process and that kyiv was “ready” to assume a ceasefire during the negotiations.

“I have never refused, but meeting, as they say, is beating around the bush; I know this because I have already been through this. I think there is a reference (in the letter) to the Minsk agreements,” the Russian president said, adding that he “does not see the point” in the meeting for now.

Thus, he assured that “the only objective for the Ukrainian side” of this eventual meeting is to “stop the advance” of the Russian troops. “We need agreements not for six months, nor for three months, but a long-term historical perspective,” he argued.

ENCOURAGE THE RUSSIAN TROOPS: “THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS LOOKING AT THEM”

Putin has also called on Russian troops to “work.” “Comrades soldiers and sailors, non-commissioned officers and officers, officers, admirals and generals: the whole country is looking at you, the whole country is proud of you and has hope,” he expressed.

On the other hand, he has urged Zelensky “not to be afraid” of holding elections in the country. “They must go to the polls, not be afraid to go and always act within the framework of the law; because exercising power outside the Constitution is called usurpation of power, a criminal offense,” he said.

In this sense, he has shamed Zelensky for his bad ways, reminding him that the American president, Donald Trump, had to “discipline” him during the famous meeting in which he accused him of promoting a “Third World War.”

“We all saw how Donald, in front of the entire world, was dedicated to reprimanding the author of this letter and pointing out his clothing. As you see, constantly showing ‘Rambo: First Blood’ may be appropriate in some places, of course, but not everywhere,” he said.

Putin has assured that he already spoke during the Anchorage summit, in the state of Alaska, with Trump about whether “things would have been different” if the magnate had been in power at the time the war broke out. “I think if Trump had been president then, if the election hadn’t been stolen from him, if he had been in power, maybe this really wouldn’t have happened,” he argued.

At another point, Putin has also stated that the attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant represent a threat to Europe itself. “Europeans who support any action by the current kyiv regime should think carefully about this and consider their own security,” he said, adding that Ukrainian forces “have completely lost their minds” by directly attacking the reactor.