{"id":212898,"date":"2026-06-06T16:15:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/putin-rules-out-zelenskyy-meeting-touts-a-new-world-order-at-russian-davos-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T16:15:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:15:53","slug":"putin-rules-out-zelenskyy-meeting-touts-a-new-world-order-at-russian-davos-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/putin-rules-out-zelenskyy-meeting-touts-a-new-world-order-at-russian-davos-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin rules out Zelenskyy meeting, touts a new world order at \u2018Russian Davos\u2019 – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia \u2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin said he saw no reason to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a day after his Ukrainian counterpart called for face-to-face talks.
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Speaking at a flagship annual economic forum in St. Petersburg two days after Ukrainian drone strikes rocked the host city<\/a>, Putin said he was grateful to President Donald Trump for his efforts to end the war but insisted there was still \u201cwork to do.\u201d
Zelenskyy, who has rarely addressed Putin directly, taunted the Russian leader about his age and the lack of progress in the war in an open letter Thursday. Russians, he said, were growing weary of the war, which he called Putin\u2019s \u201cpersonal choice\u201d and \u201ca war without real cause.\u201d
Putin said he saw \u201cno point in meeting\u201d Zelenskyy.
\u201cFirst, let experts work, work something out, and then we can meet to sign things,\u201d he told the crowd of government officials, business leaders and supporters, according to a translation provided by the forum\u2019s organizers.
Trump said Thursday it \u201cwould be great\u201d if Putin and Zelenskyy meet, though both warring sides acknowledge the U.S. focus has shifted to the Middle East since the war with Iran began.
Addressing Zelenskyy\u2019s suggestion that age was \u201cbeginning to take its toll\u201d on the Russian leader, Putin said that \u201cthe most important thing is whether you are capable of functioning properly, doing your job properly.\u201d Some of his colleagues and other political figures were older than him, he added.
As the forum took place, France announced that President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz would hold talks with Zelenskyy in London on Sunday.
Asked about the Iran war, Putin said Russia was in contact with the Islamic Republic, as well as the U.S. and Israel. Russia, he added, was ready to play a role in mediating peace.
During an earlier address to the crowd of diplomats and businesspeople, Putin did not mention either war and instead <\/strong>showcased his country\u2019s economy and encouraged foreign investment, praising the BRICS geopolitical coalition of non-Western countries.
\u201cThe paradigm is shifting,\u201d he told attendees at a plenary session, according to a translation provided by organizers. The alliance that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa had already overtaken the Group of Seven, or G7, made up of the world\u2019s largest economies, Putin said.
The G8 became the G7 in 2014 when Russia was expelled after annexing Crimea in Ukraine.
Putin was joined on stage by the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Samia Suluhu Hassan, and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, along with a moderator, the journalist Geeta Mohan.
If Putin had hoped to minimize the impact of the 4-year-old war with Ukraine at this year\u2019s event, Wednesday\u2019s attack likely ended those hopes.
An oil terminal was set ablaze, flights at the city\u2019s airport were delayed or diverted, and authorities cut cellphone internet service in a bid to prevent further drone strikes.
Putin\u2019s speech also comes at a time when Russia\u2019s $3 trillion economy appears to be stagnating.
As the initial boost from massive military spending fizzles, his government has raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to try to keep its budget deficit under control.
Putin admitted in his speech to the event often styled as \u201cPutin\u2019s Davos\u201d that the country\u2019s deficit might increase this year, but he said that \u201cinflation has slowed down significantly, and it keeps going down.\u201d He added that he expected inflation to be around 5.2% this year.
Ahead of his speech, Putin vowed to strengthen his country\u2019s air defenses to counter the long-range Ukrainian attacks. \u201cTo our regret, some of them break through,\u201d he said of the drones. \u201cRussia has an air defense system, we need to improve it, strengthen it, and we will do that.\u201d
Speaking to a small group of foreign media editors on the sidelines of the forum Thursday, Putin said that Russia would defeat Ukraine on the battlefield if necessary but was ready to end the war via diplomacy.
\u201cWe \u200care certainly prepared and willing to reach an agreement with Ukraine through peaceful means,\u201d he said, adding that Russia agreed to compromises with Trump at their August summit in Anchorage, Alaska.
He did not specify what those compromises were but said Ukraine should also agree with them.
Russia, he added, was either in full or majority control of Ukraine\u2019s Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions, which the Kremlin annexed in September 2022 after votes that most Western countries rejected as illegal land grabs. He did not mention the Kherson region, which was also annexed at the time.
\u201cNaturally, under these circumstances, the Ukrainian side would like us to halt the advance. But rather than stopping that, it would be better to bring the war to an end,\u201d he said.
With battlefield progress stalled, Moscow and Kyiv have been locked in an escalating exchange of aerial attacks.
Organizers say more than 24,000 people from around the world were attending this year\u2019s event in Putin\u2019s hometown, though Western officials and business leaders have largely stayed away since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
This year, there is a small American delegation, the first official U.S. presence in years. It\u2019s led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr., head of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the man in charge of overseeing Trump\u2019s controversial White House ballroom project.
Asked whether he would take inspiration from St. Petersburg\u2019s architecture for the ballroom, he said, \u201cI have already been inspired by St. Petersburg ballrooms in my lifetime and have done a lot of work in your cathedrals and your palaces, so the answer is yes.\u201d
Putin asked him to pass on his regards to Trump.
Far-right American influencer Candace Owens was also in attendance, along with movie star Steven Seagal.
U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, which is a special guest this year, also sent a large and high-level business delegation, while the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania and China\u2019s vice president also attended.
Senior officials from Iran and other countries attended as well.
Keir Simmons and Natasha Lebedeva reported from St. Petersburg and Henry Austin from London.<\/em>
Keir Simmons is chief international correspondent for NBC News, based in Dubai.
Natasha Lebedeva is NBC’s Senior Director for International Affairs, based in Washington.
Henry Austin\u00a0is a senior editor for NBC News Digital based in London.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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