The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

The letter, the first public letter Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, was a sweeping criticism of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power.

Zelenskyy acknowledged shifting US priorities, saying it would be wrong to simply wait for the Trump administration to return its attention to ending the Ukraine war while it remained heavily focused on the Iran war.

“I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy wrote.

He appeared to be trying to seize a pivotal moment in the war as Ukraine has begun to regain some battlefield leverage, largely through improved long-range strike capabilities that have complicated Russia’s advances. At the same time, Moscow has intensified its deadly aerial campaign across Ukraine, seeking to exploit Kyiv’s shortages and continued vulnerability to ballistic missile attacks.

Putin said on Thursday that Russia would strengthen its air defences to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over his showcase economic forum in his home town of St Petersburg.

Speaking during a meeting with heads of international news agencies, Putin acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks. “To our regret, some of them break through,” Putin said of the strikes. “Russia has an air defence system, we need to improve it, strengthen it, and we will do that.”

The wide-ranging media session came on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin’s annual showcase for investment. Hours before the forum opened on Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze an oil terminal in the city and also hit a nearby naval base.

Putin also said Russia was open for a compromise on Ukraine in line with the understandings reached at his summit with Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, and Ukraine needed to accept them to make a deal to end the conflict, now in its fifth year.

Trump said on Thursday it would be “great” for Zelenskyy to meet Putin – but said both sides had to make compromises, without explaining further.

“I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think it would be great if they met. They should – get it done.

“They’re going to both make compromises, I suggested those compromises, and you know, we’ve had a lot to do with it.”

In his letter, Zelenskyy said the proposed talks could be hosted by a neutral third country, ruling out Moscow and Kyiv as venues, and suggested Switzerland, Turkey or Arab states as possible hosts for negotiations.

“It is leaders who resolve the key issues. That has always been the case, and it always will be,” he wrote. “I propose to set a clear date for such a meeting.”

He said Ukrainian intelligence indicated Russia was considering plans to prolong the war into 2027 and 2028, while increasingly relying on ballistic missile strikes to achieve what its ground campaign had failed to accomplish.

Zelenskyy also accused Moscow of seeking to draw Belarus deeper into the conflict and of attempting to destabilise the situation around Transnistria, the breakaway Moldovan region backed by Russia.

The Ukrainian leader argued that Russia was increasingly feeling the costs of the war, pointing to drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, economic strain, fuel shortages, rising prices, and the necessity of more military mobilisation.

Zelenskyy claimed Russia had suffered more than 30,000 soldiers killed or seriously wounded in May alone, saying Ukraine had “video confirmation” of the battlefield losses and that such casualty levels had been sustained month after month.

He said Ukraine also continued to suffer painful losses despite what he described as a favourable casualty ratio.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to implement a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations and proposed an all-for-all prisoner exchange as a first step toward ending the conflict. He also called for the return of civilians and children taken from Ukraine during the war.

“The world has not grown tired of Ukraine, as you long hoped it would. But there is growing fatigue with Russia,” Zelenskyy said, addressing Putin.

After a private meeting with Nowak’s father Mark Nowak, mother Lucy Ross and stepmother Katie Woodcock, Sir Keir said he was moved to learn about Henry’s “kindness, his warmth, and his love of football” and his bright future ahead which was “cruelly stolen from him in appalling circumstances”.

It took two years for Ollie Robinson to force his way back into the England set-up and then about five minutes to win over their supporters. ­Steaming in from the Nursery End, ­Robinson produced a devastating three-wicket first over – and four overall – to cap an absurd opening day against New Zealand.

Some 16 wickets fell across only 60 overs of rain-affected play and, if this Test was being played in Australia, the groundsman might be feeling twitchy about having to give a press conference on Saturday. The pitch may ease up before then, even if the quicks on both sides will be hoping it stays just as fruity.

Kyle Jamieson was the initial seamer in his element here, figures of five for 62 helping roll England for 140 all out to see the post-Ashes reset fall flat. But it turned out this was just for starters, with Robinson then making up for lost time by ­tearing through New Zealand’s top order to leave them 61 for six at stumps.

Perhaps it was fitting that Jimmy Anderson’s old song should be repurposed by the fans as he set off on his spree. Robinson was the man earmarked to take the baton from Anderson back in 2024, only to fall foul of England’s standards regarding preparation – some feat, in hindsight – and fear there was no coming back.

How the 32-year-old backs up this initial return will be the true acid test, because the skills were never in doubt. Here they were on full show, trapping Devon Conway lbw with his third ball, getting Kane Williamson caught at short leg with his fifth, then signing off the over with another pad-thumper to Rachin Ravindra.

Robinson’s harrying six-over spell went on to feature Daryl Mitchell being bowled shouldering arms, with Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue striking either side. These were ideal bowling conditions, with clouds all day and the Dukes ball moving ­lavishly. Even so, it was some handbrake turn given where England were at the changeover.

Perusing that first innings ­scorecard, it would be easy to assume that the Bazballers had crumbled once more amid a flurry of swipes, yahoos, and reverse-scooped madness; perhaps offer a tut about yet more recklessness.

But save for Harry Brook holing out on 56 – and only then when with the tail, and reasoning it was time to step on the gas – this was a less frenetic ­collapse than usual. It was ­suboptimal all the same, not least after New Zealand lost their attack leader, Matt Henry, to back spasms following his opening spell.

Among it all was a ­heartwarming story. Playing his first Test for more than two years after a battle with lower back stress fractures, ­Jamieson’s reward for all that rehab and gym work was to etch his name on the Lord’s honours board.

Yet as excellent as the tourists were – see also a sublime one-handed slip catch by Williamson to remove Ben Stokes – there was a degree of timidity to ­England’s approach. It pointed to a team struggling to recalibrate after seeing four years of dogmatic brain-training go down the gurgler in Australia.

Perhaps Ben Duckett leaving the first two deliveries of the morning was the red flag. Duckett loves to feel bat on ball and had made it a virtue until Mitchell Starc got to work. Like a number of his colleagues, the sense is that Duckett wants to be more responsible this year. Whether it will suit him is another matter.

Fresh from being presented with his England cap by Alastair Cook – his fellow Bedford School alumnus and not dissimilar in terms of set-up – Emilio Gay could scarcely have wished for a friendlier first delivery in Test cricket: a full toss from Jamieson was drilled through cover for four to open his account.

But during the 45 minutes of play before the first two-hour stoppage for rain, the left-hander could only add one more boundary – a crisp on-drive – before Jamieson located his radar, squared him with a ball from around the wicket that nipped away, and sent a low catch to first slip. Welcome to Test cricket.

No Henry was no problem for New Zealand after the restart as, from 31 for one, England lost three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries. Jamieson took the plaudits at the end but it was Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke who did the damage here, combining nibbling outswing and 90mph pace to great effect.

First went Duckett, pinned lbw for 19 to a ball from Smith that ­jagged in. Jacob Bethell soon went the same way to O’Rourke, albeit trying to drive down the ground and missing the ball by some margin. The big one was Joe Root, undone for one by some bounce from O’Rourke as he opened the face of the bat and edged behind.

The most telling dismissal was that of Jamie Smith for one, bowled ­shouldering arms to Jamieson to make it 55 for five. The ball decked in a mile here, making it less galling than that previous brain fade in Sydney in January when he slapped Marnus Labuschagne to cover. Equally, it was a bad misjudgment.

Much like in Melbourne and that notorious two-day Ashes Test, Brook was showing the way, meeting the challenge with a more positive half-century. Granted he was dropped twice but the right-hander was still playing his natural way.

What that is for Stokes these days is harder to discern given that mid-Ashes move to drop anchor and the broader struggle that has dropped him to No 7. Still, as meek as the prod to Jamieson on 12 was, Stokes could console himself with the fact that Williamson’s flying pouch at third slip was a genuine jaw-dropper.

Jamieson was also proving a ­serious handful. There was a bit of ­defiance from England’s tail, Tongue and Shoaib Bashir ­making 10 and 14 respectively, but not before New Zealand’s 6ft 8in ­trebuchet had ­completed his five by ­trapping ­Atkinson in front and tickling a light under-edge from Robinson.

In turn, the movement on offer was only ever going to be catnip for a bowler such as Robinson. And as ­England left the field at stumps and their supporters filtered out of the gates, they were grateful for this ­particular aspect of the reset.