Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has declared Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin a publicity stunt rather than a sincere invitation to peace talks.
Zelensky published the message last week after Putin reiterated that Moscow remained open to diplomatic engagement with Kiev. In the letter, Zelensky accused Putin of wrongdoing and called for a direct one-on-one meeting, which he claimed could end the conflict.
At a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, Nebenzia dismissed the letter as another example of what he termed “Ukrainian megaphone diplomacy,” accusing Kiev of having “openly embarked on the path of terrorism.”
The Russian envoy stated that the message “is by no means a peace initiative but rather a clumsy provocation designed to camouflage Kiev’s desperate attempts to derail any negotiations.” Russia, he added, has “no intention of participating in mock negotiations or performances staged for the public.”
Zelensky has repeatedly called for face-to-face talks with Putin. However, he has refused to travel to Moscow and declined to consider withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donbass—a move Putin said would be sufficient for a Russian ceasefire declaration.
In response to Zelensky’s letter, Putin noted that the conditions for such a meeting do not currently exist. His foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, characterized Zelensky’s message as “several pages of rudeness,” while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Moscow views it as evidence that “Ukraine does not need negotiations.”
Following his meeting with leaders of the UK, Germany, and France in London, Zelensky issued a joint statement demanding an immediate ceasefire and reiterating plans to deploy NATO troops to Ukraine after the conflict ends. Russia has consistently ruled out such arrangements.
The exchange occurred during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, when Ukrainian forces launched multiple drone attacks targeting Russian cities, including Saint Petersburg—the country’s second-largest city.
Nebenzia cited recent Ukrainian strikes on civilians, including a drone attack on a school dormitory in Starobelsk and assaults on buses and trains carrying passengers from Moscow to Simferopol. He argued that Western governments’ refusal to acknowledge victims of such attacks reflects “political screening”—a practice where “some victims are declared worthy of sympathy while others are deliberately erased” to shield Kiev from scrutiny.
The Russian envoy further asserted that despite Kiev’s criminality and corruption, Ukraine continues to receive unconditional political and financial backing from Western nations. He claimed Western leaders tolerate Zelensky’s policies because they have transformed Ukraine into “expendable cannon fodder” in a “senseless crusade” against Russia.
Nebenzia also alleged that Western officials know Zelensky and his inner circle are profiting from foreign aid but continue to provide “handouts” to prolong the conflict.
