Zelenskyy proposes direct talks with Putin at December G20 summit in Miami

Proposal for direct talks in Miami

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on 12 September that he is prepared to hold face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G20 leaders summit in Miami. Speaking to Deutsche Welle at the Canadian Armed Forces base in North Bay, Zelenskyy confirmed he would attend the 14-15 December gathering if the Russian leader also travels to Florida. The Ukrainian president emphasized that the substantive outcome of any meeting takes precedence over diplomatic rhetoric. The interview followed the conclusion of bilateral agreements, including a 100-year partnership declaration, signed with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on 10 September. Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine currently holds a strong negotiating position and linked the summit to potential steps toward ending the conflict.

“We must meet, talk and make decisions.”

Moscow rejects ceasefire during talks

Russian officials responded to the invitation on Saturday by reiterating their own conditions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin has not yet decided whether to travel to the United States, adding that the Russian offer for Zelenskyy to visit Moscow remains open. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed the proposal while attending the BRICS summit in New Delhi, affirming that Moscow is open to dialogue but will not pause military operations during any talks. Lavrov described the standing invitation to Moscow as a gesture of goodwill, pointing out that Ukraine has not rescinded its decree barring direct negotiations with Putin. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov told Izvestia that preparations for the Miami summit remain at the expert level and that Putin's travel has not been reviewed internally.

“We are ready for negotiations, but the special military operation will not be suspended during the negotiations.”

Previous encounters and diplomatic track

The two leaders have not met in person since 9 December 2019, when they attended Normandy format discussions in Paris alongside then German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Putin has not traveled to a G20 leaders summit in person since 2019, and high-level bilateral diplomacy ceased following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zelenskyy previously identified the timeframe between the December 2026 summit and late summer 2027 as an operational window to reach a settlement. Russian representation at G20 events in the United States has expanded in recent months, following Finance Minister Anton Siluanov's attendance at an August ministerial meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, which US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended as essential for sustaining dialogue.

Intensifying international contacts

Zelenskyy's initiative coincides with a series of diplomatic exchanges involving American, Russian, and European officials. US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow on 5 September for talks with Putin before presenting proposals to Ukrainian officials in Kyiv. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski visited the Ukrainian capital on 11 September for discussions with participants in the US-Russian contacts. Russian delegates from the energy and foreign ministries are scheduled to participate in a G20 energy ministerial in Houston from 14 to 16 September, while US President Donald Trump has invited Poland to attend the Miami summit in December. Mediators have also evaluated potential third-party venues for future trilateral discussions, including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland.