Zelensky Says He Is Ready to Meet Putin at G20 Summit in Miami

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that he is prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Miami, in what would be the first direct encounter between the two leaders since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Conditions for Talks

Zelensky said any meeting would need to be substantive and focused on achieving a just and lasting peace, not a temporary ceasefire that Russia could use to regroup. He insisted that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be the foundation of any agreement and that war crimes accountability must be part of any process.

G20 Context

The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in Miami in November. Both Russia and Ukraine are members of the G20. Previous attempts by various mediators to bring the two sides together have failed, with Russia generally refusing face-to-face talks while insisting on conditions Ukraine rejects.

I am ready to meet Putin at the G20 in Miami. The world needs to see who truly wants peace and who does not.

The announcement came as the wider conflict continues to escalate, with fresh Russian missile strikes reported across multiple Ukrainian cities on Friday night and Saturday morning.

International Reaction

Western leaders and diplomats have cautiously welcomed the statement as a sign of Ukrainian openness to diplomacy, while stressing that any talks must respect international law and Ukraine's sovereign rights. Russia had not responded publicly to the proposal at time of publication.