Kremlin Rejects Zelensky Offer to Meet Putin at G20 Miami Summit

Russia's Kremlin on Sunday rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal to meet with Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Miami in December. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP the meeting would be 'impossible', insisting that Putin is only willing to meet Zelensky in Moscow.

Zelensky's offer and Russia's response

In a Saturday interview, Zelensky said he would attend the G20 summit in Miami if Putin also participated, and expressed readiness for direct talks. 'We must come. We must meet, talk, and make decisions. What matters is the result,' he said. Kremlin spokesman Peskov immediately dismissed the possibility, saying: 'There is readiness to meet him in Moscow.' When asked whether the Kremlin would consider an alternative venue, Peskov repeated the same line.

Putin's attendance remains unconfirmed

There is no official confirmation from Russia that Putin will attend the G20 summit in December. The Kremlin's response to the G20 proposal continues a pattern of rejecting neutral-ground meetings while proposing Moscow as the venue — a condition Kyiv has never accepted.

Diplomatic contacts between Russia and Ukraine have remained blocked since early 2022 despite repeated international mediation efforts. Ukraine has consistently demanded that negotiations take place on neutral ground, not in Moscow.