Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a calculated publicity stunt rather than a sincere invitation for peace negotiations.
Speaking at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, Nebenzia dismissed the letter—published by Zelensky last week after Putin stated Moscow remained willing to engage in diplomacy with Kiev—as “megaphone diplomacy.” He accused Kyiv of having “openly embarked on the path of terrorism” and claimed the message was a “clumsy provocation designed to camouflage Kiev’s desperate attempts to derail any negotiations.”
The Russian envoy highlighted recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilians, including a drone strike targeting a school dormitory in Starobelsk, as evidence of Kyiv’s criminal conduct. Nebenzia stated that Western governments continue providing unconditional financial and political support to Zelensky despite Ukraine’s aggression, labeling the president an “expendable cannon fodder” in what he described as a “senseless crusade.”
During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Ukrainian forces launched multiple drone strikes targeting Russian cities. Nebenzia argued that Western nations engage in political screening by refusing to acknowledge victims of Ukrainian attacks, enabling Kyiv’s leadership to evade scrutiny while Western officials knowingly permit Zelensky’s administration to profit from foreign aid.
Zelensky has repeatedly demanded direct talks with Putin but refused to travel to Moscow or withdraw troops from Donbass—a move Putin described as sufficient for a Russian ceasefire. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader recently met with British, German, and French officials in London to call for an immediate ceasefire and plans for NATO troop deployment after the conflict concludes.
Nebenzia emphasized that Russia has no intention of participating in any “mock negotiations” staged by Kyiv, which he characterized as part of a broader pattern of Western tolerance for Ukraine’s aggression.
