Zelensky Publishes Open Letter to Putin — Proposes Immediate Ceasefire + Face-to-Face Meeting; Kremlin Says Putin 'Can Come to Moscow Any Time' — Day 1,561

On June 4, 2026 — Day 1,561 of Russia's full-scale invasion — President Zelensky made the most significant Ukrainian diplomatic move since the Geneva talks of February 2026: he published an open letter directly addressed to Vladimir Putin. The letter proposed three specific steps: (1) an immediate full ceasefire along the current frontline for the duration of negotiations; (2) a face-to-face bilateral meeting in a neutral third country — with Switzerland, Turkey, or an Arab state specifically named as acceptable venues; (3) an all-for-all prisoner-of-war exchange as a confidence-building starting point. Zelensky's framing was direct: 'Enough of the war.' The letter came days after Russia's devastating June 2 mass strike (73 missiles + 656 Shaheds; 17–18 killed nationwide; Kyiv building collapsed) and Ukraine's own June 3 deep-strike on St. Petersburg during SPIEF. The Kremlin's response was delivered by spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who confirmed Putin had seen the letter but had not yet formally read it. Peskov added that Zelensky 'can come to Moscow any time' — a venue Zelensky had explicitly and publicly ruled out. Bloomberg characterized the letter as a significant shift in Ukrainian diplomacy; the Kyiv Independent described it as Zelensky 'throwing down the gauntlet.' The US-brokered Geneva framework talks remained deadlocked over territorial arrangements, with a June 2026 target for a deal having passed without agreement.