Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the heads of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) that Moscow is ready for “certain compromises” in resolving the Ukrainian conflict. He emphasized that we are talking about the conditions that were discussed at the summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska last year. Soon, an open letter appeared on the website of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky inviting Putin to meet in a third country.
The question of whether the Kremlin is ready to conclude a settlement deal was asked to Putin by James Jordan, director of the news service for Europe and Africa of the American agency Associated Press (AP). He said, citing the recent speech of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Senate, that Russia is allegedly experiencing economic difficulties amid the continuation of the Ukrainian conflict.
“What the Secretary of State says on a specific issue within the country, of course, interests us, but still we are more interested in the real situation. It looks like this. First of all, and you need to pay attention to this, Russian troops are advancing along the entire line of combat contact,” Putin emphasized (quotes from the official website of the Russian President).
The President of the Russian Federation added that the Russian military controls 100% of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), over 85% of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and 80% of the Zaporozhye region.
He noted that the question is not about choosing between “control over Donbass” and “willingness to make a deal,” as Jordan formulated it. According to Putin, “one does not exclude the other.”
“We are certainly ready and want to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means, and on the basis that we spoke about at the meeting with President Trump in Anchorage. And then questions were posed to Russia so that we could make certain compromises. And Russia agrees to the compromises that we talked about in Anchorage,” Putin said.
The Russian leader added that the conflict “will quickly come to its natural conclusion” if Ukraine also agrees to the compromises discussed in Anchorage.
Putin and Trump met at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska in August 2025. During a brief press conference following the deal, the Russian president expressed hope that it would become “a pivot point for resolving the Ukrainian problem,” while Trump reported progress but acknowledged that a deal had not been reached.
It was subsequently reported that the US peace plan included a clause on the withdrawal of Ukrainian military from the entire Donbass region. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky subsequently announced his readiness to hold a referendum on the territorial issue in the country, which Trump supported, but so far no such vote has been held.
Zelensky's letter to Putin
Zelensky, in an open letter to Putin, which was published shortly after the Russian president’s meeting with journalists began, said that he was ready to meet with him. He suggested holding the summit in Switzerland, Turkey or an Arab country that “traditionally hosts leaders” to resolve such issues. Zelensky emphasized that he is not ready to go to Moscow and is not waiting for Putin in Kyiv.
“It is the leaders who decide key issues – this has always been and will be the case. I propose setting a clear date for the meeting,” Zelensky said.
He added that he sees no prospects for a settlement based on the agreements in Anchorage, suggesting that Europe needs to be involved in the process. Zelensky outlined the role of the United States as necessary in monitoring the ceasefire, which he proposes to declare during such negotiations.
“The front line now is the line from which diplomacy must begin. Ukraine is ready to cease fire completely – while negotiations continue. And this is standard practice, which is now confirmed by the circumstances around Iran. An attempt to establish real silence is the best start to start talking to each other,” the President of Ukraine noted.
Zelensky also proposed an exchange of prisoners of war on the “all for all” principle, calling it a “good prologue” to the end of the conflict.
As the Russian TASS agency reported, citing Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin saw Zelensky's letter and will later hold a briefing for the Russian president on this matter.
