Nebenzya calls Zelensky’s letter to Putin an “awkward provocation”

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated that the open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a peace initiative but an “awkward provocation.”

He made the statement at a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

“We cannot help but comment on the so-called open letter from Zelensky to Russian President Putin, which is by no means a peace initiative but an awkward provocation designed to camouflage Kyiv’s desperate attempts to derail any negotiations aimed at finding ways to resolve the conflict,” Nebenzya said.

According to the diplomat, under the guise of a call for negotiations and “counting on a media effect,” Zelensky merely “repeats threats and propaganda clichés.” Nebenzya also added that “before writing such so-called open letters,” the Ukrainian president should rescind the decree prohibiting him from holding talks with the Russian president.

On June 4, Zelensky published an open letter to Putin in which he proposed launching direct bilateral dialogue to end the conflict. In his view, the leaders of the two countries could hold talks on neutral ground — in Switzerland, Turkey, or one of the Arab world countries. The following day, Putin said he “saw no point” in a meeting and noted that the letter contained “elements of rudeness.”

Putin, for his part, stated that a ceasefire is not required to begin negotiations on Ukraine. He had previously allowed for the possibility of meeting Zelensky in a third country, contingent on reaching final agreements on a peace deal. Zelensky rejected the option of traveling to Moscow.

In December of last year, Putin stated that Russia seeks to end the Ukrainian conflict by peaceful means, provided that its root causes are eliminated.