Russian nationalists and military bloggers sharply criticized the open letter published by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a PR move aimed at stoking internal discontent in Russia, rather than ending the war, "Reuters" reports, News.bg reported.
The letter, in which Zelensky offers a personal meeting with Putin to negotiate an end to the conflict that has been going on for more than four years, was published during the economic forum in St. Petersburg, where the Russian leader spoke to foreign editors.
During the meeting, Putin confirmed his tough stance on the war, stating that Russian forces are advancing daily on the front. At the same time, he said that US President Donald Trump's peace proposals could lead to a cessation of hostilities if Kiev is ready to compromise. Both Moscow and Kiev accuse the other side of refusing to make concessions.
Putin has not yet responded publicly to the letter, but a Kremlin spokesman said he was familiar with its contents.
"If you look at the text of the statement itself, there is no trace of real diplomacy," said military blogger Ribar, who called it a bluff. According to him, the letter contains insults, warnings about "drones over your cities" and allegations of fuel shortages and new mobilization in Russia.
"Taken together, all this amounts to another attempt to incite internal discontent in Russia," he said.
Former Ukrainian lawmaker Oleg Tsarev, who supports Moscow, said that "The goal is to sow panic and discontent with the war."
Nationalist businessman Konstantin Malofeev also dismissed the initiative. "But Zelensky wanted to make a show, a publicity stunt," he said, adding that if the Ukrainian leader had wanted to make a real offer, he could have used private channels.
Military bloggers also questioned the point of a possible meeting between the two leaders in the absence of progress in peace talks. They pointed out that Moscow is demanding that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the remaining Kiev-controlled parts of Donbas, a condition that Zelensky rejects as tantamount to surrender.
"If there are no common points except the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of the dead, what agreements and memorandums are there?", asked military blogger Voenkor Kotyonok.
According to him, the Kremlin has repeatedly stated that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is possible only after reaching a compromise on a future agreement.