Ukrainian president, writing first letter to Putin since war began, aims to unfreeze peace talks Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that a meeting take place in a country other than Ukraine or Russia. Leszek Szymanski/EPA/Shutterstock Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to revive dormant peace talks by writing an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin just as Ukraine’s troops have shifted the momentum on the battlefield.