Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that he 'sees no point' in meeting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for now. This was in response to a letter from Zelensky proposing to end the war and hold a face-to-face meeting on neutral territory.

Putin said his press secretary Dmitry Peskov showed him the letter the previous day, but he was busy with a working dinner with the president of Uzbekistan and could not read it immediately. In the morning, he reviewed it and noted several points.

'The author of the letter indicated that it is not necessary to comply with the agreements reached in Ankara and that guarantees for possible agreements between Russia and Ukraine should be sought in Europe. I don't understand why the US administration and President Trump are not being considered as guarantors,' Putin said.

Putin also again accused Ukraine of shelling a dormitory of the Starobilsk Pedagogical College in the Russian-controlled part of Luhansk region. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the strike on the night of May 22 injured 63 people, 21 of whom died. Ukraine denied hitting civilian infrastructure, saying it targeted military sites.

'Ukrainian forces delivered a terrible terrorist strike on a college dormitory where children and teenagers were killed. This is a monstrous crime. There were no military objects there,' Putin said.

The Russian president noted 'elements of rudeness' in Zelensky's letter and suggested it was an attempt to make a personal meeting impossible. When the moderator said 'That means no,' Putin replied: 'I see no point for now.'

Source: www.gazeta.uz