‘Yes, of course’: Zelensky says willing to meet Putin at G20 summit in Miami

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Miami as efforts to end the war gather pace. — AFP pics

First Published: Saturday, 12 Sep 2026 5:07 PM MYT

BERLIN, Sept 12 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a G20 summit in Miami, in an interview released Saturday, as efforts intensify to end the conflict.

Asked by broadcaster Deutsche Welle if he would meet Putin at the gathering in December if both leaders were invited, he responded: “Yes, of course. We have to come. We have to meet, to speak, and make decisions.

“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. Matters only result. Result matters. That’s it.”

Washington has recently sought to kick-start long-stalled efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth year, with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visiting Moscow and Kyiv last weekend.

Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump also discussed the war last week in what the Kremlin termed an “extremely frank” and constructive hour-long phone call.

Zelensky said in the DW interview, which took place Friday, that Witkoff and Kushner’s visit was a “good signal”, and it was important the pair had visited Kyiv as well as Moscow.

“It’s respect to our people.”

The United States this year holds the presidency of the Group of 20 major economies, which comprises 19 nations plus the EU and the African Union.

In early September Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was welcomed to a G20 meeting in North Carolina, causing discomfort among Ukraine’s European allies.

And a Russian diplomat said Saturday that Moscow will send some officials to a G20 energy meeting in Houston next week. — AFP