Putin says he'd only meet Zelenskyy in 'final stage' of negotiations

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is open to meeting with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only during a "final stage" of negotiations.
"I am even ready to meet him [Zelenskyy] but only if it is some kind of final stage, o as not to sit there and divide something endlessly, but to put an end to it" Putin said on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday.
Putin said that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have agreed to hold another round of discussions after 22 June. Two rounds of direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv failed to make progress on ending Russia's full-scale invasion, now in its fourth year.
"We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of peaceful settlement," Putin said. He highlighted that the previous negotiations had led to the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict.
Putin also reiterated his false claim that Zelenskyy is not Ukraine's legitimate president after his term expired last year.
This accusation has been roundly rejected by Kyiv and its allies, as Ukraine's constitution makes it illegal for the country to hold national elections while it's under martial law.
During the meeting with senior news agency editors, Putin also talked about the conflict between Israel and Iran, NATO, and Russia's relations with the West.
In overnight attacks, Russia struck six Ukrainian regions, having launched 104 Shahed-type strike UAVs and various decoy drones. Of these, 40 were destroyed while 48 were jammed or disabled by electronic warfare, according to Ukraine's military
In Kyiv, emergency workers recovered more bodies on Wednesday from the debris of a nine-story apartment building in the Solomianskyi district, which was destroyed by a Russian missile strike. The death toll from this latest attack on the Ukrainian capital has risen to 28.
Officials reported that 23 of the victims were inside the building when it was hit and collapsed during what has become the deadliest Russian assault on Kyiv so far this year. The other five fatalities occurred in other parts of the city.
The overnight assault from Monday into Tuesday was described by Zelenskyy as one of the largest attacks since the war began.
The era of nuclear disarmament appears to have come to an end, experts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned this week.
Amid widespread global tensions and regional conflicts, researchers say the number of nuclear weapons appears to have gone up in the past 12 months.
The nuclear weapon stockpile is now estimated at 9,614 available warheads - 0.3% more compared to 2024. The total is 12,241, including retired warheads.
"By the end of 2024 nuclear disarmament appeared more elusive than at any point since the end of the Cold War", says SIPRI, "especially since strategic dialogue between Russia and the United States has effectively ceased".
China's nuclear program is growing faster than any other country thanks to "significant modernisation and expansion work", the report says.
Beijing is currently building new silos for its intercontinental ballistic missiles (IBM) in three large fields in the north of the country as well as in three mountainous areas in the central east.
Since 2023, its arsenal has expanded by 100 new nukes per year, reaching 600 in 2025, making it the world's third-largest stockpile.
However, the vast majority of China's warheads are thought to be stored separately from their launchers.
By the end of the decade, the country, which is currently the world's second-largest military spender after the US, could have at least as many ICBMs as either Russia or Washington, although its stockpile is still expected to remain smaller than theirs.
Tensions undermined dialogue between China and the US on nuclear-weapon-related issues due to the American support for Taiwan as well as economic sanctions against China.
Russia and the US still hold almost 90% of all nuclear weapons.
"Both states are implementing extensive modernisation programmes that could increase the size and diversity of their arsenals in the future." says SIPRI.
"If no new agreement is reached to cap their stockpiles, the number of warheads they deploy on strategic missiles seems likely to increase after the bilateral 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) expires in February 2026.
In any case, SIPRI analysts say Russia's nuclear modernisation effort has endured a test failure and a further delay for the New Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.
Additionally, upgrades of other systems are progressing more slowly than anticipated.
In the US, on the other hand, authorities are under pressure by nuclear advocates to keep up with China's new developments.
The US could ramp up its capabilities by reactivating empty launchers, increasing its non-strategic nuclear weapons and deploying more warheads to existing launchers.
In Europe, France has the largest nuclear arsenal, with 290 weapons - almost all of them are combat-ready.
In 2024, Paris continued its development program of third-generation submarine-launched nuclear missiles as well as a new air-launched cruise missile.
Like France, the UK has committed to scaling up its maritime nuclear abilities by building four new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
Although the country is believed not to have increased its arsenal last year, which currently stands at 225 nukes, a few weeks ago the government announced new investments in up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS programme.
Authorities said that's "in response to the rapidly increasing threats".
The investment is part of a £15 billion (€17.5bn) budget in the country's warhead programme.

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