Zelenskyy willing to meet Putin if Russian President shows up at G20 summit

Zelenskyy said he would go to the Miami G20 summit if Putin attends and wants any meeting to produce results. He also pitched energy and grain ceasefire steps while pressing allies for more air defence before winter.

In Short

• Zelenskyy ready to meet Putin at December G20 summit in Miami if Putin attends
• Focus on tangible results over words to advance peace talks
• Ukraine seeks ceasefire on energy and grain as initial negotiation steps

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to travel to Miami for the Group of 20 (G20) leaders' summit in December if Russian President Vladimir Putin attends, potentially setting the stage for the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Kyiv in February 2022.

Zelenskyy made the remarks during an interview with Deutsche Welle (DW) on Friday. Asked whether he would go to Miami if Putin was there, the Ukrainian leader gave an unequivocal response.

"Yes, of course. We have to come. We have to meet, to speak and make decisions," he said.

According to him, the substance of such a meeting would matter far more than the rhetoric surrounding it. He said the priority would be securing tangible progress towards ending the war rather than trading statements.

"It's not about words. What I will tell him or what he wants to tell me, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. (...) Results matter. That's it."

The Kremlin has so far stopped short of confirming whether Putin plans to attend the Miami summit. The Russian president has not personally attended a G20 leaders' summit since 2019, leaving uncertainty over whether the two leaders could actually find themselves at the same table. However, A Russian official will attend a G20 energy meeting in Houston next week, a White House official said on Friday.

PATH TO ZELENSKYY-PUTIN MEETING

Any direct encounter between Zelenskyy and Putin would carry major diplomatic significance. The two leaders have not met in person since the war entered its full-scale phase more than four years ago, while repeated efforts involving Kyiv, Moscow, Washington and European capitals have failed to produce a lasting peace agreement.

Earlier this month, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, travelled to Moscow before meeting Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Despite the high-level contacts, no major breakthrough towards a peace deal was announced.

Zelenskyy nevertheless described the US envoys' visit to Kyiv as a positive sign, particularly because they had also travelled to Moscow. He said he had told them that Ukraine was in a stronger position for negotiations than it had been a year earlier.

According to Zelenskyy, Russia is suffering heavy battlefield losses while making only limited territorial gains. He argued that the costs being borne by Moscow could create greater room for negotiations.

"So that's why we think that we have now good position for negotiations," he said.

KYIV SEEKS CEASEFIRE

Energy and grain could offer two areas for limited agreements, potentially creating an opening for broader peace talks, according to Zelenskyy. The Black Sea has remained a major flashpoint, with Russia and Ukraine targeting each other's vessels and disrupting commercial shipments. Ukraine's grain exports have suffered as fighting and restrictions around its Black Sea ports continue to affect trade.

Zelenskyy said he had discussed the possibility of an energy and grain ceasefire with the US envoys, describing the idea as a potential first step towards negotiations.

"What can bring us to any kind of negotiations? So energy and grain. This is step number one. What we can achieve," he said.

There has been no confirmation from Putin or the Russian government that Moscow has agreed to such an arrangement.

ZELENSKYY WANTS MORE PATRIOT MISSILES

While diplomatic efforts continue, Ukraine is also preparing for another difficult winter and is seeking additional air defence systems from its Western allies. Zelenskyy admitted that Ukrainian forces have struggled to counter the growing use of jet-propelled drones by Russia. He said the United States had the political willingness to provide assistance but faced limitations because of weapons production.

"They (US) have political will to sell and to help, but the production is not too big. So it means that stocks is a variant," he said.

He was also uncertain about whether Washington would be prepared to provide more Patriot missile systems.

"Will Americans be ready to give us (Patriots)? I don't know. We will see."

Patriot systems are among Ukraine's most important defences against Russian ballistic missile attacks, making access to additional interceptors a key concern for Kyiv as winter approaches.

Zelenskyy said Russia is currently producing about 140 ballistic missiles a month and argued that Ukraine would need a much larger supply of interceptors to counter that threat.

"Russia (currently) produces 140 ballistic missiles per month. So, according to the rules of NATO, if you want to destroy 140, you need a 1-to-2 [ratio], 280 missiles," Zelenskyy told DW.

"You will never have 280 missiles per month, and between us, it's a huge challenge to have [even] 100 missiles per month. This is what I want. I want to have 100-120 for these difficult months, especially the cold months."

Germany has said it would send Patriot missiles from its national stockpile, although it has not specified how many missiles would be supplied. Zelenskyy has also urged other European countries to increase military assistance, stressing that the immediate priority was protecting civilian lives.

Alongside requests for Western weapons, Ukraine is trying to expand its domestic defence capabilities. Zelenskyy said Kyiv had reached agreements with several European companies to develop a Ukrainian-led anti-missile system known as Freya. He said Ukraine hoped to begin the first testing phase by the end of December.

The effort reflects Kyiv's attempt to reduce its dependence on foreign weapons supplies at a time when demand for air defence systems is rising across Europe and other conflict zones.

PUTIN WARNS AGAINST WESTERN TROOPS IN UKRAINE

Putin's potential appearance at the G20 comes against the backdrop of increasingly sharp warnings from Moscow over the possibility of European troops being deployed to Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of the 2026 BRICS summit, Putin said Russia did not pose a threat to European countries and argued that Moscow had no reason to seek a confrontation with Europe.

"There is no such threat, and there has never been. We are not threatening European countries, nor are we going to threaten them. Why would we? No one seems to even consider that we have no grounds for any conflict with Europe. All issues were settled as a result of the Second World War. And what happened later, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, was done with the consent of the Russian Federation as the successor of the Soviet Union. Everything that runs counter to those arrangements runs counter to our interests and does not comply with the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter."

Putin then issued a direct warning over any deployment of Western forces to Ukraine.

"Now they are talking about how they are thinking about bringing troops to the territory of Ukraine. This means war with Russia," the Russian President added.

Despite the latest diplomatic contacts, significant obstacles remain before any potential Zelenskyy-Putin meeting could translate into a peace agreement. US, Ukrainian and European intelligence officials remain sceptical about whether Putin is genuinely interested in ending the war, according to news agency Reuters.

Meanwhile, Washington is also considering further economic pressure on Moscow. The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on fresh sanctions on Russia and its allies.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies