Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal for a face-to-face meeting, saying such talks currently have no meaning. Putin made the remarks on Friday at Russia’s main economic forum in St. Petersburg. Zelensky had earlier published an open letter on Thursday urging direct talks, warning that expecting renewed U.S. involvement in the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 would be a mistake.

Putin described Zelensky’s letter as ‘inappropriate’ and questioned whether it was intended to create conditions for dialogue or to avoid it, concluding that it appeared to be the latter. When asked if he would meet the Ukrainian leader, Putin said he saw no justification for such a meeting at this time.

In response, Zelensky said Russia was once again choosing war and that Putin did not want to end the conflict. He added that many people around the world would be disappointed by Putin’s stance.