Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in person if Putin attends the Group of 20 (G20) summit to be held in Miami, United States, in Dec. Russia pushed back, saying a meeting in Miami is impossible and urging Zelenskyy to come to Moscow.
Visiting Canada, Zelenskyy said in an interview with German public broadcaster DW on the 11th (local time) that he would "of course" be willing to meet Putin in Miami, adding, "We must go," and "We need to meet, talk and make decisions."
Zelenskyy stressed that tangible outcomes are more important than the words exchanged at a summit. He said, "It doesn't matter what I say to him or what he says to me," adding, "What matters is the result."
Russia dismissed the possibility of the two leaders meeting in Miami. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told AFP on the 12th that it was "impossible," adding, "We are ready to meet him in Moscow."
Spokesperson Peskov also told TASS that it has not yet been decided whether Putin will attend the G20 Leaders Summit on Finanical Markets and the World Economy. Putin has not attended the G20 summit in person since 2019.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, visiting India to attend the BRICS summit, also said in New Delhi that "if Zelenskyy wants to meet, let him come to Moscow," arguing, "This alone shows Russia's tremendous goodwill."
Minister Lavrov said, "We are still ready to negotiate," but added, "We will not suspend the special military operation even during negotiations." "Special military operation" is the term Russia uses to refer to the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy and Putin have not met in person since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022.
Zelenskyy has proposed a summit several times but has not agreed to a plan to meet in Russia. Putin has maintained that Zelenskyy should come to Moscow anytime if he is serious about talks.
Zelenskyy called it a "good sign" that Steve Witkoff, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Trump's eldest son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Russia and Ukraine in succession on the 5th–6th.
He said he explained to the two that Russia is estimated to be losing more than 30,000 troops a month and emphasized that Ukraine is in a favorable position for cease-fire talks.
He added that Ukraine is stronger than last year, while Russia is paying a "heavy price" compared with its gains on the battlefield, saying, "This is why we think we are in a good position to negotiate now."
Zelenskyy said he also discussed cease-fire options in the energy and grain sectors with the U.S. envoys, adding that "this could be a starting point for launching negotiations."
As fighting between Russia and Ukraine has intensified around the Black Sea recently, analysts say the two countries' grain export capacity has fallen by more than 97% compared with the export season last year. Disruptions in exports from the two countries, both major wheat exporters, have pushed international wheat prices up about 30% from a year ago.
Zelenskyy urged the United States and Europe to expand support, saying Ukraine is struggling to intercept Russia's jet engine–powered drones. He added that "Freya," an independent ballistic missile defense system Ukraine is developing with European corporations, is expected to enter its first testing phase by late Dec.