Zelenskyy offers to meet Putin at December G20 summit in Miami
The Ukrainian president proposed energy and grain ceasefires as a possible starting point for peace talks, but Putin’s attendance remains unconfirmed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 leaders’ summit in Miami in December, provided Putin attends.
Speaking to Deutsche Welle, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was in a stronger position for negotiations than it had been last year. He said the outcome of any discussion would matter more than the statements made during it.
The Kremlin has not confirmed whether Putin will attend the summit. Putin has not personally attended a G20 summit since 2019, while Zelenskyy and the Russian leader have not met in person since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Zelenskyy proposed energy and grain ceasefires as an initial step towards negotiations. Russia and Ukraine have been targeting ships in the Black Sea, disrupting grain exports.
The Ukrainian president also discussed agreements with Canada covering a 100-year partnership and cooperation on drone production. He said Ukraine had reached agreements with European companies to develop a Ukrainian-led anti-missile system, Freya, with initial testing hoped for by the end of December.
Zelenskyy appealed for further European support and more Patriot missiles, citing Ukraine’s difficulties defending against Russian drones and ballistic missiles. His assessments of Russian losses, missile production and Ukraine’s interceptor requirements were not independently verified in the material.
