Zelensky proposes meeting Putin at Miami G20 summit while Kremlin demands talks in Moscow

Proposal for a December meeting in Miami

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with Deutsche Welle on 12 September 2026 that he is prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 leaders' summit in Florida. The summit will convene in Miami on 14 and 15 December 2026 under the United States presidency of the group. Zelensky explained that direct engagement is necessary regardless of personal rhetoric between the two heads of state. He emphasized that the primary objective of any meeting must be reaching concrete agreements to end the conflict.

“We have to go. We have to meet, talk and make decisions. It is not a matter of words. What I will tell him or what he wants to tell me does not matter. Results matter. That is all.”

Kremlin rejection and Moscow venue demand

The Russian government dismissed the proposal shortly after the interview was published, ruling out a summit on American soil. Speaking in New Delhi, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that a meeting in Miami is impossible and reiterated Moscow's long-standing position that Zelensky must travel to the Russian capital for any direct negotiations. Peskov noted that the Russian leadership has not yet determined whether Putin will attend the G20 summit in December. Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the issue of presidential attendance remains undiscussed. The two leaders have not held a face-to-face meeting since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

United States diplomatic involvement

The proposal follows diplomatic missions dispatched by Washington to re-engage both capitals after months of stalled talks. CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow on 25 August 2026 to assess Russian intentions, followed by visits to Moscow and Kyiv on 5 and 6 September by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Speaking by videoconference at a Kyiv security forum on 11 September, Kushner stated that the administration expects to announce the next steps in negotiations within several weeks. US President Donald Trump also conducted a phone call with Putin to discuss the conflict, after previously stating in April that Russian participation at the G20 would be useful.

Battlefield conditions and upcoming international forums

Zelensky asserted that Ukraine enters this diplomatic phase in a stronger negotiating position than in the previous year, pointing to stabilized frontlines and Russian attrition. He identified an immediate cessation of strikes against energy facilities and grain shipping corridors as necessary first steps toward broader peace talks. Russian air strikes on 12 September killed nine people and damaged residential and energy infrastructure across several Ukrainian regions. Officials in Kyiv cautioned that intensified attacks against energy grids could reduce Ukraine's gross domestic product by 1.5 percentage points this year. The diplomatic track continues with a G20 energy meeting in Houston from 14 to 16 September, followed by the United Nations General Assembly in New York from 18 to 28 September and the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18 and 19 November.