Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed face-to-face talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a combative letter that comes as Kyiv strikes ever deeper into enemy territory and Moscow’s offensive stalls.

Zelenskyy said the starting point for any negotiations would be “the front line today,” rejecting a prior proposal that would have forced Ukraine to give up swaths of territory. European leaders are reportedly pursuing direct talks of their own with Moscow, though Putin rebuffed them.

The diplomatic blitz comes as the Kremlin’s battlefield losses mount — thousands of Russians are dying every month — and the country’s elite appear to increasingly be turning against the war.