Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Group of Twenty summit due to be held in Miami.
Asked by the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle whether he would meet Putin at the summit in December, provided both leaders are invited, Zelensky said yes, of course. He said they must go, they must meet, talk and make decisions.
The remarks were reported by the Athens Macedonian News Agency.
A conditional offer
Zelensky's answer was framed around a hypothetical: a meeting would depend on both him and Putin being invited to the summit. He did not say that either leader has already received or accepted such an invitation, and the source gives no further detail on the circumstances under which the two might sit down together.
What the G20 summit is
The Group of Twenty, known as the G20, brings together the world's largest economies, including the United States, Russia, the European Union and Ukraine's Western allies, to coordinate on economic policy and, increasingly, on major geopolitical crises. Its annual summit is hosted by a different member each year and typically draws heads of state and government. This year's gathering is set for Miami, Florida, in December.
Zelensky, Putin and the war
Zelensky has led Ukraine since 2019 and has become one of the war's most prominent international figures since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. Putin, Russia's president, ordered that invasion and has led the country for more than two decades.
The two men have not held direct talks since the war began. Any face-to-face meeting at the G20 summit would therefore mark a rare instance of the two leaders speaking to one another in person since fighting started.
Deutsche Welle, the outlet that put the question to Zelensky, is Germany's public international broadcaster.
