The Ukrainian president accuses the Russian leader of unleashing a war without a real reason, recalls Russia’s losses, Moscow’s dependence on China and North Korea, and proposes a personal meeting to end the conflict.
We publish the full translation of the letter.
“When you became the head of Russia over 26 years ago, many people in Ukraine viewed you positively. That was the case. That’s in the past now.
Today, the vast majority of Ukrainians are positive about the fact that our long-range drones visited the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, covering a distance of over 1,000 kilometers. As you well know, this is not the limit of our capabilities.
Your 26 years in power have completely transformed relations between Ukraine and Russia. From discussions about trade and other civil matters, our nations have moved on to topics related solely to hits and losses.
You spent almost half of your 26 years in power in Russia waging war against Ukraine.
Regardless of what you say about NATO, geopolitics, or the Russian language, this war is your personal choice—a war without a real cause. That’s how history will remember it.
This time could have turned out completely differently.
We often hear that war suits you. Of course, not when it comes to the safety of your residence on Valdai Hill or a military parade in Moscow. Your own life is precious to you.
But today we all see that Russians are less and less happy with the fact that the war is bringing more and more negative consequences to Russia.
They don’t like our drones and missiles.
They are unhappy with the fuel shortage and the constant price increases.
They don’t like further bans.
They do not like your intention to carry out a second wave of mobilization to expand the war to another direction in Ukraine or to direct it against other countries – Russia’s neighbors.
They don’t like the fact that there’s still no end in sight to this war.
Yes, you can still force Russians to live in such conditions.
But your resources are clearly dwindling.
You won’t have enough money or political power to continue buying the loyalty of Russians as you did for 26 years. We will do everything in our power to make sure the world sees to it.
As you yourself say: “everything must be counted.”
Yesterday, I received a report on your army’s losses on the front in Ukraine in May. This represents another 30,000 dead and seriously wounded Russian soldiers. We maintain this level of losses every month, and for each of your losses, we have video evidence of this fact – these are not empty claims.
We know that 63 percent of your losses on the front were killed, and only 37 percent wounded. In the 21st century, armies cannot afford such proportions. In the future, the proportion of casualties will increase.
Not because we in Ukraine are worried about the Russians. After everything your war brought to Ukraine.
But I care about Ukrainians.
We are losing our people, and every loss is painful. Even if Ukrainian losses are one in five or one in six compared to Russian losses, it still has a significant impact.
Equally significant is the fact that you are now regularly, every few months, postponing the deadlines for occupying our regions, primarily the Donetsk Oblast. You won’t capture it this year either.
But we in Ukraine don’t want endless war. We know full well that life is incomparably better without war. We want to achieve this.
I am convinced that most Russians are ready to respond positively to this and you know it.
Many people did not believe that Ukraine would be able to defend itself for so long.
You didn’t believe. And those who advised you didn’t believe either. It was a mistake.
You didn’t expect full-scale resistance from Ukraine, and you didn’t foresee things getting this far. And yet, we’re all still here—in the fifth year of a full-scale war.
Don’t be afraid to get out of this war – this is the most important thing that is needed from you today.
Ukraine retains its independence. And it will retain it. Regardless of any other predictions.
We united many people around the world in defense of Ukraine and against you. We acquired weapons and financial resources.
We receive support, you receive sanctions. And so it will be until Ukraine receives the justice we desire and can achieve.
We will not allow those who try to convince you that sanctions against Russia will be significantly eased and support for Ukraine significantly reduced to succeed without a significant change in your position on Ukraine. Orbán’s example demonstrates the shame that those who choose to aid Russia in its war against us end up in.
Ukraine endured harsh winters when you tried to destroy our energy sector. We survived, and even in the darkness, the resilience of Ukrainians remained unbroken.
We brought the war to your territory, and you couldn’t have managed it without North Korea’s help. You are the first Russian leader to be forced to turn to Pyongyang for help.
Today you are completely dependent on China – also for the first time in Russian history.
You assumed that the Ukrainians would lack the forces to defend themselves. Yet today, our soldiers are helping build defense systems for our partners in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region.
You were counting on internal unrest in Ukraine, but it was your own military forces that rebelled against you. June 23rd marks another anniversary of these events, and remaining silent won’t erase this fact from history.
It is you that your officials, businessmen, and propagandists are looking at with obvious weariness today. The world sees it.
The world isn’t tired of Ukraine, as you long hoped. However, fatigue with Russia is evident even among those countries that help you circumvent sanctions and keep your economies afloat.
You can’t help but notice this. After 26 years, age begins to take its toll. Over time, your fatigue with the Lord will also increase.
We’ve seen intelligence documents indicating you’re considering waging war in 2027 and 2028. We also know you’re counting on ballistic missiles to achieve what other means haven’t. You want to drag Belarus even further into the war, and that’s why we need to prepare for that as well. We see you’re playing some kind of game around Transnistria. Your propagandists are threatening all of Russia’s neighbors in one way or another. Do you really want to go through with all of this?
The choice is yours today.
Enough of war.
Ukraine proposes to end this war.
This must be done honestly, with dignity, and to ensure that the conflict does not flare up again.
We see that the United States is now focusing all its attention on the Iran issue and cannot simply wait until it becomes their turn to focus on war in Europe.
Ukraine proposes ending the war in the form of talks between us and you.
I propose a meeting with you.
Everyone heard your representatives smiling and saying that I could supposedly come to Moscow. But after 26 years like that, the Ukrainian leader has no business in your capital, just as the Russian leader has no business in Kyiv.
There are countries that traditionally host leaders addressing issues of war and peace. Switzerland, Türkiye, and countries of the Arab world—many are willing and able to host such a meeting.
Leaders make the most important decisions. It has always been this way and always will be.
I suggest setting a specific date for the meeting.
We’ve heard that you were promised resolution of certain issues concerning Ukraine and Europe in Alaska. But you see for yourself that Ukrainian and European affairs are not being resolved in Anchorage.
Other agreed participants may join the bilateral process we have initiated.
Since the war is ongoing in Europe, and Ukraine needs security guarantees, and you also want such guarantees for yourself, it seems logical to involve those who can actually be guarantors.
We believe that the participation of Europe is necessary – those countries that actually have the ability to influence the situation.
We believe that the United States should also participate in this process because it can shape the new security architecture in our part of the world.
We already have the experience of numerous agreements with Russia and the Minsk Agreements that failed to work. Therefore, we must first find our own, bilateral answers to existing problems and not hide from difficult questions behind formulas, technical groups, or the waste of time in shuttle diplomacy.
With your war you separated Ukraine from Russia forever.
The front line today is the line from which diplomacy should begin.
Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire during negotiations. This is standard practice, as is currently confirmed by events surrounding Iran. Attempting to achieve a genuine peace is the best way to begin a conversation. We believe this will not be just a test, but a real ceasefire, if you so desire.
You know that the United States can ensure monitoring of the ceasefire on the demarcation line.
Ukraine is ready to exchange prisoners of war on the principle of “all for all”, which could be a good prologue to the end of the war.
Serious steps must be taken to return civilians and children displaced during the war.
It is necessary to determine what the future will be for the next generations of Ukrainians and Russians.
If you personally don’t come to the conclusion that this war must end, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence. We will have those who will support us.
But you, too, will have to increasingly fight for your own survival—not Russia’s, but your own. And this is not a threat from me or from Ukraine. These are facts of Russian history that you know well: when Russia struggles, change comes.
We can work towards such fatigue.
You can stop your war.
Eternal memory to all whose lives were taken by this war.
Glory to Ukraine!”
source: https://www.president.gov.ua/
Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Nowiny Wschodnie, a news platform followed by more than 140,000 people on social media. A graduate in Journalism and Social Communication, he has been co-creating and developing Nowiny Wschodnie since 2017. He gained professional experience working with local and international media.
He specializes in fact-checking, countering disinformation and propaganda, and information security. His work focuses on Poland, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Polish-Ukrainian relations. He is also the founder of a non-profit organization working in the fields of integration and intercultural dialogue.
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