Putin says 'no point' meeting with Zelenskyy, vowing to double down on war efforts

in brief

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told an economic forum in Saint Petersburg that there was "no point" in meeting his Ukranian counterpart.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had issued a rare direct appeal to meet with Putin about ending the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out meeting his Ukrainian counterpart any time soon, a day after Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a sit-down between the leaders to end the four-year war.

Speaking at an economic forum in his home city of Saint Petersburg, Putin said he saw "no point" in meeting Zelenskyy until a possible peace deal had been agreed.

Putin also vowed to press on with Russia's military offensive until its war goals had been achieved.

Zelenskyy hit back saying the Russian leader was "weak" and "choosing war again".

Russia has demanded control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as well as sweeping political and military restrictions on its neighbour.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

Ukraine and its allies have ruled the conditions as tantamount to capitulation and US-brokered peace talks have failed to bring the sides closer.

Zelenskyy on Friday, local time, issued a rare direct appeal to the Russian leader.

"Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting," Zelenskyy said in an open letter.

"I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting."

Putin refused.

"I see no point in meeting. It only makes sense for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces. That's it. And we need agreements," Putin told Russia's flagship economic forum.

"Let the experts work, develop some solutions, and then we can meet," Putin added.

Hundreds of thousands have been killed since Putin launched his full-scale offensive — which he calls a "special military operation" — in February 2022.

Swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine have been destroyed and millions forced from their homes in the four-year campaign the Kremlin hoped would have toppled the country within a matter of days.

Russia staged new deadly attacks on Thursday, with Ukrainian authorities saying four civilians were killed and seven wounded in Russian strikes on Mykolaivka and Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region.

'Some day'

Zelenskyy says a summit is needed to thrash out the key issues of a peace deal.

"Unfortunately, the Russian side is choosing war again — everyone heard today's response. A weak response. He simply doesn't want to end the war," he said after Putin rejected the call.

His proposal had won support from key allies, including US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Zelenskyy is to meet Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on Sunday in a bid to inject fresh momentum into diplomatic efforts.

Putin said the conflict would only stop when Russia's goals are met.

"Military actions will end some day, we assume. Without a doubt, they will end once we have achieved the goals we have set for ourselves," Putin told the audience of business leaders and visiting dignitaries from Russia's allies.

The ex-KGB spy also rejected claims that the Russian economy was falling apart under the high costs of the war.

The Kremlin's offensive has put Russia's finances under immense strain, with rising prices, tax hikes and two-decade-high borrowing costs hitting many citizens hard.

"We, of course, hear criticism from all sides that everything has collapsed," Putin said.

"We have descended to the same level at which eurozone countries have been living through for the past few years," the Russian leader said, adding that Russia was pursuing a "sovereign" economy.

Asked by the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) about Russia's economic woes on Friday, Putin channelled the US writer Mark Twain.

"Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated," he said, rejecting the idea that Russia was on the brink of a full-blown crisis.

Russian Davos

Putin spoke just two days after the opening of SPIEF — once dubbed the "Russian Davos" — was overshadowed by brazen Ukrainian drone strikes on Saint Petersburg.

Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russia's vital energy infrastructure — oil depots, refineries, exporting hubs — which are threatening to dent Moscow's most important income stream.

In the early years of Putin's rule, Westerners investing in Russia's chaotic and fast-growing economy would gather at the SPIEF to strike deals and hobnob with the Russian elite.

Now, drones and machine guns are out on display.

AFP reporters saw Russian-made humanoid robots walking the venue halls, where stands promoting investment into regions annexed from Ukraine were prominent.

The guests included former Hollywood star-turned Putin-backer Steven Seagal, US conspiracy theorist Candace Owens, Trump's ballroom commissioner, and MPs from the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Rodney Mims Cook Jr, chairman of the US Commission of Fine Arts, conveyed a "good hello" to Putin from Trump on Friday and praised the beauty of the northern Russian city of St Petersburg.

"President Vladimir Putin, it's very nice to see you," Cook said when asked to say a few words during a session at SPIEF. "I do give a good hello from your friend, President Trump."

Putin also passed on his greetings to Trump via Cook.

— With additional reporting by Reuters news agency.

For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.