Zelensky says he will meet Putin at December’s G20 summit if the Russian president shows up.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made the offer during an interview with Deutsche Welle at Canadian Forces Base North Bay. Asked directly whether he would attend the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Miami to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky did not hesitate.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “We have to come. We have to meet, to speak and make decisions.”
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As originally reported, Zelensky’s comments came with a clear condition. He said he would travel to Miami for the December summit only if Putin also participates. Both leaders would need to be invited for the meeting to happen.
The statement is notable given the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. A direct face-to-face meeting between the two presidents has not taken place since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. Zelensky’s willingness to sit across from Putin at a multilateral summit marks a significant public signal, even if the conditions for it remain uncertain.
The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Miami in December. Whether Putin would attend or be invited has not been addressed in the source of this report.
What is clear is that Zelensky went on record, in plain language, saying both leaders need to show up, talk, and make decisions. That kind of direct statement, made at a military base in Canada during a media interview, is not something a wartime president says casually.
The ball, at least rhetorically, is now in Russia’s court.
