Key facts
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to meet Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Miami.
- The G20 leaders' summit is scheduled to take place in Miami in December.
- Zelensky and Putin have not met in person since before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
- The Kremlin has not said whether Putin plans to attend the summit.
- U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv earlier in September after talks in Moscow.
- Zelensky said Kyiv had discussed a possible energy and grain ceasefire with the U.S. envoys.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to travel to the G20 summit in Miami in December and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he attends, according to an interview with Deutsche Welle published on September 12, 2026. Zelensky stated that results, not just words, would matter in any such encounter. The two leaders have not met in person since before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has not confirmed whether Putin plans to attend the summit, which he has not personally attended since 2019. Zelensky's remarks come amid renewed U.S.-led efforts to bring Kyiv and Moscow back to negotiations. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv earlier in September following talks in Moscow. Zelensky told Deutsche Welle that Ukraine was in a "good position for negotiations," citing heavy Russian battlefield losses for limited territorial gains. He also mentioned discussions with the U.S. envoys about a potential energy and grain ceasefire as a first step toward broader talks. Despite revised U.S. proposals, people familiar with the negotiations indicated that Moscow remains unwilling to make significant concessions. Zelensky anticipates the war will continue into the winter.