Zelensky offers Miami meeting with Putin at G20; Kremlin rejects idea, insists on Moscow
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a DW interview published on 12 September 2026 that he is ready to travel to the G20 leaders' summit in Miami in December to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin if Putin also attends. The Kremlin rejected the proposal: spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Putin-Zelensky meeting in Miami is "impossible" and reiterated Moscow's standing invitation for Zelensky to come to the Russian capital. Speaking at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Russia's Moscow invitation as a "huge gesture of good will" and said Russia will not stop its military operations during any potential negotiations.
Key points
- Zelensky told DW on 12 September 2026 he is ready to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December to meet Putin if Putin attends, saying only the result would matter.
- Lavrov, speaking at the BRICS summit in New Delhi on 12 September, called the Moscow invitation to Zelensky a "huge gesture of good will" and said Russia will not halt military operations during negotiations.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on 12 September that a Putin-Zelensky meeting at the G20 in Miami is "impossible" and that Putin is only ready to meet Zelensky in Moscow.
- Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the question of Putin's participation in the G20 summit has not yet been discussed; Peskov said the Kremlin does not yet know whether Russia will go to Miami.
- The G20 leaders' summit is scheduled for 14–15 December 2026 at the Trump National Doral Miami golf complex, chaired by US President Donald Trump.
- Putin has not personally attended a G20 leaders' summit since 2019 — first because of COVID-19, then because of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and an ICC arrest warrant.
- Zelensky and Putin have not met in person since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Why it matters
Zelensky and Putin have not met face to face since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, so any direct bilateral would be a major diplomatic event. The exchange on 12 September crystallised the gap between the two sides: Ukraine proposes a venue on US soil under Trump's G20 chairmanship, while Russia insists on Moscow as the only acceptable location. Lavrov's parallel statement that Russia will not halt military operations during any negotiations reframes what 'talks' would mean in practice.
What happened
On 12 September 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told DW in an interview that he is ready to travel to the G20 leaders' summit in Miami in December to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin if Putin also attends. Zelensky said that only the result of such a meeting would matter, not the words exchanged, and suggested a ceasefire on energy and grain could be a first step toward talks. Earlier the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Putin-Zelensky meeting on the G20 sidelines in Miami is "impossible" and reiterated Moscow's standing invitation for Zelensky to come to the Russian capital instead. Speaking to journalists at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Russia's Moscow invitation as a "huge gesture of good will" and said Russia will not stop its military operations during any potential negotiations. Putin aide Yuri Ushakov added that the question of Putin's possible trip to the G20 has not yet been discussed. The G20 leaders' summit is scheduled for 14–15 December 2026 in Miami at the Trump National Doral golf complex, with US President Donald Trump as host.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage leads with Zelensky's readiness to travel to Miami as an open diplomatic gesture and contrasts it with the Kremlin's flat rejection. Reporting highlights Peskov's dismissal of the Miami meeting as "impossible" and Lavrov's statement that Russia will not stop fighting during talks, presenting both as evidence that Moscow is not genuinely engaging. Articles note that Ukraine has repeatedly proposed neutral-territory meetings and that Zelensky rejects any trip to Moscow, framing the venue dispute as a fundamental asymmetry. Several pieces also include Zelensky's separate DW and CBC remarks that Putin wants to seize all of Ukraine and that a military defeat of Russia would carry unacceptable losses, framing negotiations as necessary because of the human cost.
How international sources describe it
International outlets such as Germany's DW lead with the Zelensky interview and quote his "we have to meet, talk and make decisions" line, treating the Miami offer as a notable diplomatic opening. Coverage gives comparable weight to Lavrov's "huge goodwill gesture" framing of the Moscow invitation and to Peskov's rejection of a Miami meeting, presenting the exchange as a deadlock between two incompatible proposals. Background on the G20 logistics — Miami, 14–15 December, Trump as host, Putin's absence since 2019 and the ICC warrant — is used to explain why the venue choice carries legal and political weight for Russia. The English-language reporting also notes Trump's stated doubts that Putin will attend and his comment that Putin would meet him only "when a peace deal is concluded," framing the United States as an interested mediator rather than a participant in the Zelensky-Putin exchange.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on whether a Putin-Zelensky meeting on the G20 sidelines in Miami is conceivable: Zelensky publicly offered to attend for such a meeting, while Peskov told AFP and other outlets that a Miami meeting is "impossible" and that Putin will only meet Zelensky in Moscow. Sources also differ on Russia's participation in the G20 leaders' summit overall: Peskov said on 12 September that the Kremlin "doesn't know yet" whether to go to Miami, and Ushakov said the question had not been discussed, while other reporting notes Putin is on the expected guest list. There is also a discrepancy on where Lavrov made his "no ceasefire during negotiations" and "goodwill gesture" remarks — most outlets cite Interfax on 12 September, while one Ukrainian-language article places them to journalists at the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
Background
The G20 leaders' summit is scheduled for 14–15 December 2026 at the Trump National Doral Miami golf complex in Florida, chaired by US President Donald Trump. Putin has not personally attended a G20 summit since 2019 — first because of COVID-19, and from 2022 because of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv on 5–6 September for talks on ending the war; Zelensky said they presented "very good, valuable ideas." Zelensky has said he does not expect trilateral talks to resume before Russia's parliamentary "elections" on 20 September, and has floated the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey as possible trilateral venues.