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Kremlin Rejects Zelenskyy’s G20 Miami Putin Meeting Proposal

By Drooid · Sep 13, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to meet Putin at the G20 summit in Miami if Putin attends.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would meet Zelenskyy only in Moscow, rejecting Miami.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine now holds a stronger battlefield position, citing Russian losses of 30,000 troops monthly.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv, which Zelenskyy described as a sign for talks.

History

Historical Context

On 5 December 1994 the United States, United Kingdom and Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum, pledging to respect Ukraine’s borders after it surrendered Soviet nuclear weapons. Russia breached those assurances with the 2014 Crimea annexation and the 2022 invasion, prompting Western aid of $300 million. Zelensky’s 2024 G20 invitation to Putin revives the memorandum’s disputed dialogue framework.

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Story summary

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to meet Putin at the G20 summit in Miami if Putin attends.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would meet Zelenskyy only in Moscow, rejecting Miami.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine now holds a stronger battlefield position, citing Russian losses of 30,000 troops monthly.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv, which Zelenskyy described as a sign for talks.

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