Ukraine Warns Putin Has ‘Lost His Chance’ for Peace Talks

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ‘lost his chance” to end the war after refusing to enter a new round of peace talks with Kyiv, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has said, adding the situation will “only get worse for Russia.”

Sybiha made his comments after Putin rejected a proposed face-to-face meeting made via open letter by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday.  

The Russian leader said he had no intention of meeting with Zelenskyy and said the open letter format was “inappropriate.” 

“By refusing President Zelenskyy’s offer for direct peace talks, Putin lost his chance to get out of his failed war,” the foreign minister wrote on social media on Saturday. 

“Things will only get worse for Russia. Battlefield losses will continue to grow. Failures will get more humiliating,” he continued. 

Sybiha said, by continuing the war, Russia’s economy will “plunge deeper” into recession, while unemployment, taxes and inflation will all rise. 

He called Putin a “fanatic” who wants to hold on to power “at any cost” and is willing to “kill millions of people” for “his insane delusions.” 

“All of this because he doesn’t want to admit a simple truth: he will never achieve his goals on the battlefield,” the minister said. “Russia will still have to accept a diplomatic solution but the terms will be far worse.” 

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Lukashenko Rejects Direct Belarusian Involvement in War in Ukraine

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko declared during a speech in Grodno on June 6 that Belarusian troops will not take part in direct combat operations in Ukraine. Lukashenko strongly rejected sending his citizens to the front lines, stating that Belarusians have no desire to become “cannon fodder” for someone else’s will. Despite this stance, he emphasized that Minsk remains a steadfast military ally to Russia and stands ready to defend it.

He said Putin’s refusal to negotiate peace should lead to a “significant increase” in international pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine. 

US President Donald Trump was supportive of Zelenskyy’s initiative. “I think it would be great if they met. They should – get it done,” he told reporters on Thursday. 

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and peace talks mediated by the Trump administration have come to a standstill in recent months.  

US State Secretary Marco Rubio suggested other mediators could take over Washington’s role: “If someone else would like to handle it, they should.”