Putin says he is grateful to 'Donald' but rejects Zelensky's call for face to face meeting

In his speech earlier, Vladimir Putin said he is “grateful to Donald” but added that there is “still some work to do”. Speaking at an economic summit in St Petersburg, he said he sees no reason to meet Volodymyr Zelensky after the Ukrainian president published an open letter proposing they meet to agree an end to the war. The Kremlin chief said Zelenskiy's letter was rude in parts and did not come across as sincere offer to hold talks. "This letter contains some rather rude remarks. Was it a way to create the conditions for a face-to-face meeting or a way not to set up a face-to-face meeting? I think it was the second," said Putin. Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent Find us on social: TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@independent Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/the.independent/ X (Twitter) / https://twitter.com/Independent Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentOnline Download the iOS & Android app: https://tinyurl.com/2s3ts5dh Sign up to our newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/2bmw565x Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust: https://www.independent.co.uk/donations