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Ukraine preparing for fresh peace talks with Russia in October, but Moscow rules out Putin meeting with Zelensky at the G20 summit
Ukraine is preparing for a fresh round of peace talks with Russia and the United States that could take place as early as October, according to Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov. However, the Kremlin has again rejected the prospect of a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky at the upcoming G20 summit, insisting any encounter must instead take place in Moscow, dealing a fresh setback to Washington's efforts to broker a swift resolution to the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in New Delhi that a Putin-Zelensky meeting at the G20, due to be held in Miami on 14-15 December, was "impossible", though he did not confirm whether Putin had even been invited. Zelensky has previously said Putin ignored an invitation to meet at a G7 summit in France in June and has repeated his willingness to meet at the G20 if both leaders are invited. The rebuff comes as US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who visited Kyiv and Moscow last weekend, work to advance negotiations, with Kushner suggesting "next steps" could be announced within a couple of weeks; Zelensky also confirmed he plans to meet Donald Trump in late September, while fighting continues, with Russian strikes killing at least seven people and wounding almost 60 across Ukraine over the weekend.
In short
- Ukraine readies for possible Russia-US peace talks as soon as October.
- Kremlin rules out Putin-Zelensky meeting at December's G20 summit in Miami.
- US envoys push for progress; Russian strikes kill seven in Ukraine over weekend.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A face-to-face meeting at the G20 could give leaders a neutral setting to address the war directly and help US-led efforts turn preliminary contacts into negotiations. Ukraine’s willingness to meet may offer a route to testing whether diplomacy can make progress even while fighting continues.
The case against
Russia can argue that a summit meeting is unlikely to be productive unless its venue and terms are agreed in advance, and that Moscow is an appropriate place for direct talks. It may also prefer negotiations through envoys first, so leaders meet only when there is a realistic basis for decisions rather than a highly visible encounter with uncertain results.
Explained simply
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and the two countries have held talks at various points without reaching a lasting agreement. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, lead the countries at the centre of the conflict; the United States has also been involved in efforts to bring them to negotiations.
The G20 is a forum where leaders of major economies meet, and a summit can provide an opportunity for diplomatic contact. A direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin would require both sides to agree on the setting and terms, while the continuing fighting means any negotiations are taking place alongside the war.
Americas Europe Geopolitics Politics Russia-Ukraine War World