Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview published on Saturday, declared his readiness to meet personally with Vladimir Putin within the framework of the G20 summit, which is scheduled to take place in Miami on December 14–15. According to the Ukrainian leader, Kyiv intends to use the summit platform for negotiations on ending the war. At the same time, Zelensky emphasized that, in his view, Ukraine is in a stronger negotiating position than before, citing the losses Russia has suffered on the battlefield. However, at the time the statement was published, it had not been confirmed whether Putin plans to attend the Miami summit at all.
Kyiv's Negotiating Position
In his interview, Zelensky stressed that the dynamics of the fighting have shifted the balance of forces in Ukraine's favor and that this should be taken into account in any dialogue. Kyiv, according to Ukrainian and foreign media reports, is considering a meeting at the heads-of-state level as an opportunity to lock in the terms of a ceasefire and discuss security guarantees. At the same time, the Ukrainian side did not specify the full list of topics it wants to put on the negotiating table, limiting itself to a general formulation about 'ending the war.'
Kremlin's Categorical Rejection
In Moscow, the proposal was ignored almost instantaneously. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, answering questions from AFP journalists in New Delhi, called the possibility of a meeting between Zelensky and Putin at the G20 summit in Miami 'impossible.' Peskov repeated a requirement previously put forward by Moscow: a bilateral meeting of the presidents is possible exclusively in the Russian capital. In response to a direct question about whether the Kremlin is considering alternative venues, the spokesman replied that readiness for a meeting exists — 'in Moscow.'
Context: Trilateral Format and the Role of the US
Peskov's statement came against the backdrop of his own recent comments that the Kremlin is counting on a new trilateral meeting involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, and that, in his words, an agreement on this had already been discussed with American negotiators. In parallel, it was reported that Donald Trump is ready to meet with Putin but is putting forward the condition of involving Ukraine in the process. Thus, several competing scenarios are forming around the format and venue of the negotiations — from a bilateral meeting in Moscow to a multilateral track with American participation.
Contradictory Data
There is a direct discrepancy between the positions of the two sides. Kyiv is publicly proposing a specific international platform — the G20 summit in Miami — while Moscow rejects any alternative and insists on a meeting only in Moscow. Moreover, the Kremlin's statements about 'readiness for a meeting' and about the 'impossibility' of a meeting in Miami sound contradictory, unless one takes into account that they refer to different geographical conditions. An additional inconsistency concerns the very fact of Putin's participation in the G20: neither side has confirmed his presence at the summit, which makes the scenario proposed by Kyiv factually unfeasible without additional agreements. Finally, the claims that a trilateral meeting has already been 'discussed' with the Americans are not yet supported by independent confirmation from Washington or Kyiv.
What Comes Next
In the coming weeks, the key factor will be whether the parties can agree on at least the format and location of contact. If Moscow continues to insist exclusively on Moscow, while Kyiv insists on a neutral or international venue, the risk that a meeting at the presidential level will not take place before the G20 summit remains high. Observers will be watching the reaction of Washington, which, according to available reports, is a supporter of involving Ukraine in the negotiation process and may play the role of an arbiter in choosing the venue.
