Putin says he sees 'no point' meeting Zelenskyy

Vladimir Putin has described Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open letter proposing a meeting as "boorish". (AP: Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet.

A Ukrainian naval drone exploded in Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta after drifting off course, prompting evacuations but causing no casualties.

EU leaders warn the war in Ukraine is becoming a "direct threat" to countries along the bloc's eastern border as cross-border drone incidents increase.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet, saying he sees "no point".

In a speech to the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Mr Putin described Mr Zelenskyy's open letter proposing the meeting as "boorish".

"I see no point in meeting. It only makes sense for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces," he said.

"Let the experts work, develop some solutions, and then we can meet."

He went on to say the war in Ukraine would end only once Russia had achieved its "goals".

The letter is the first public message Mr Zelenskyy has written directly to Mr Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russia has demanded control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as well as sweeping political and military restrictions on Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump said it "would be great" if the two met.

Meanwhile, earlier on Friday, a Ukrainian naval drone exploded in Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta, a week after another aerial drone crashed into an apartment building in Romania, injuring two people.

The Romanian Defence Ministry said the latest drone self-detonated in the port of Constanta at about 10:30am, local time, after the area had been secured and isolated by authorities. No casualties were reported.

It came as European leaders warned the war in Ukraine was becoming a "direct threat" to countries along the EU's eastern border.

No casualties were reported after the drone explosion, which Ukraine said it had warned Romania about in advance. (AP: Observator Antenna 1)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the war was "increasingly becoming a direct threat to countries on our Eastern border" in a social media post.

Romania, an EU and NATO member, has reported dozens of airspace breaches since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The latest incident comes as Russia has intensified its aerial campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, launching a major attack on Kyiv on Tuesday that killed 22 people an