Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, stated that the upcoming G20 summit in Miami could become a venue for a trilateral meeting of representatives of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. According to the head of state, the Kyiv and American sides have already discussed the possibility of holding negotiations in this format, and the G20 summit itself, in his assessment, creates conditions for dialogue with a tangible outcome. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a Suspilne publication.
Assessment of the format: 'a potential opportunity with a real outcome'
Zelensky emphasized that the Ukrainian side views the Washington initiative as one of the most promising. 'I believe this is one of the best opportunities offered by the American side, by President Trump, regarding the G20. I consider this a potential opportunity when a trilateral meeting with a real outcome could take place,' the president stated. At the same time, he underscored that Kyiv is ready to support such a format provided there is a corresponding agreement between the parties: 'Of course, Ukraine will support it if such a format exists and there is a corresponding agreement.'
The role of other G20 participants in the negotiation process
In Zelensky's view, additional opportunities for negotiations are created by the presence of other influential states at the summit — China, India, Middle Eastern countries, and Ukraine's European partners. The president noted that a number of these countries continue to maintain economic ties with Russia, which, in his opinion, could become an additional lever of pressure within the framework of multilateral dialogue. Thus, in his logic, the G20 format turns a bilateral issue into a multilateral one, where the interests and positions of numerous players influence the final configuration of the negotiations.
Context: Putin's invitation and the December timeline
The possibility of holding a trilateral meeting is being discussed against the backdrop of Russian leader Vladimir Putin receiving an invitation to the December G20 summit in Miami. It is precisely this circumstance, according to Zelensky, that makes the summit a potential 'atmosphere where a result can be achieved.' Thus, the key condition for realizing the initiative remains confirmation of Putin's participation in the December summit and the parties' agreement on the specific format of the trilateral contact.
Contradictory data
In the provided sources, the key facts of Zelensky's statement — Kyiv's readiness for a trilateral meeting at the G20, the discussion of the format with the American side, and the link to the December summit in Miami — are presented consistently and contain no discrepancies in dates or figures. At the same time, the source glavred.info (ID 3) records a parallel statement by Zelensky about 'three options for a ceasefire' with Russia, which points to a broader negotiation framework extending beyond the single G20 format. The exact date and specific agenda of the trilateral meeting have not been confirmed by either side in open sources as of 24 September 2026, leaving the headline 'probable date' (as in the slovoidilo.ua publication, ID 4) in a state of awaiting an official announcement.
Additional context: acknowledgment of mistakes
In the same interview, Zelensky stated that during the full-scale war he had to make many difficult decisions, and not all of them turned out to be correct. In his words, it was precisely the large number of daily decisions and agreements that caused the mistakes made. This statement came against the backdrop of discussions on the prospects for a peace process and was likely intended to prepare public opinion for possible compromise decisions that could result from the trilateral negotiations.
