Mike Baker

It's Friday, the 5th of June.

Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

Okay, to be fair, it's the PDB Early Evening Bulletin today.

I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.

All right, let's get briefed.

First up, after more than four years of war, Ukrainian President Zelensky has made his most direct appeal yet to President Putin, publicly calling for face-to-face negotiations.

Putin says peace is possible, but is sticking to his maximalist demands while rejecting Zelensky's proposal to meet.

I'll have the details.

Later in the show, a U.S.

citizen pleads guilty to working as an agent for China.

Yet another one.

We'll look at the case, the alleged recruitment network behind it, and why it echoes warnings Western spy agencies issued just days ago.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

Okay, early evening spotlight.

Fine.

After more than four years of war, Ukrainian President Zelensky is making one of his most direct appeals yet to Vladimir Putin, calling publicly for face-to-face negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

But the central question is whether either leader is actually prepared to compromise on the issues that matter most.

In an open letter addressed directly to Putin, Zelensky proposed that the two men meet in a neutral third country to begin talks on ending the war, naming Switzerland, Turkey, and Arab states as possible venues.

According to The Guardian, it's the first public letter Zelensky has addressed directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion back in 2022.

Zelensky's message was blunt, with the Ukrainian leader saying, quote, Do not be afraid to take the path out of this war.