KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday he would travel to Miami for the G20 leaders’ summit in December if Russian President Vladimir Putin attends, offering to meet his Russian counterpart as efforts to end the war continue.
Zelenskyy made the statement during an interview with DW correspondent Misha Komadovsky.
“Yes, of course. We have to come. We have to meet, to speak and make decisions,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said the outcome of any meeting would matter more than what either leader says.
“It’s not about words. What I will tell him or what he wants to tell me, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. […] Results matter. That’s it,” he said.
Zelenskyy and Putin have not met in person since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has not said whether Putin plans to attend the G20 summit in Miami.
Putin last attended a G20 summit in person in 2019. Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attended a G20 meeting in North Carolina last month after the United States invited him, a move that drew criticism from European officials.
Ukraine and Canada sign 100-year partnership
Zelenskyy also discussed agreements he signed Thursday with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, including a 100-year partnership declaration.
The agreement covers security, financing, energy, veteran policy, culture and humanitarian issues, Zelenskyy said.
He also said Ukraine and Canada reached an agreement on drone production involving several Ukrainian companies.
Zelenskyy seeks more Patriot missiles
Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs additional air-defense systems ahead of winter as Russia continues to deploy jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles.
He said the United States has the political will to help Ukraine with Patriot missiles but faces limited production capacity.
“Will Americans be ready to give us (Patriots)? I don’t know. We will see,” he said.
Zelenskyy said Russia produces about 140 ballistic missiles a month and said Ukraine needs between 100 and 120 Patriot missiles a month during the winter period.
Germany said earlier this week that it would provide Patriot missiles from its national stock but did not specify the number.
Zelenskyy also urged European allies to provide Ukraine with additional support.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready for negotiations
Zelenskyy said the recent visit to Kyiv from U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner signaled that Washington continues to engage with Ukraine as well as Russia.
He said Ukraine has a stronger negotiating position than it had last year and claimed Russia loses more than 30,000 soldiers a month while making limited gains on the battlefield.
“That’s why we think that we have now good position for negotiations,” Zelenskyy said.
He also said Ukraine reached agreements with several European companies to develop a Ukrainian-led anti-missile system called Freya. He hopes the system can enter its first testing phase by the end of December.
Zelenskyy proposes energy and grain ceasefire
Zelenskyy said Ukraine also discussed a possible ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and grain shipments during talks with the U.S. envoys.
Fighting around the Black Sea has disrupted Ukraine’s grain exports, with Russia and Ukraine targeting each other’s ships.
Zelenskyy said an agreement covering energy and grain could serve as an initial step toward broader negotiations.
“What can bring us to any kind of negotiations? So energy and grain. This is step number one. What we can achieve,” he said.