Kremlin Rejects Putin-Zelensky Meeting at Miami G20 Summit

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has ruled out a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G20 summit in Miami, scheduled for December 14-15, 2026. Peskov described the prospect of talks in the United States as "impossible," stating that any such encounter would need to occur in Moscow.

President Zelensky had previously expressed readiness to travel to Florida to meet Putin, provided the Russian leader attends. He emphasized that the priority for any meeting must be concrete results rather than rhetoric, stating, "It is not about words."

While the Kremlin has not confirmed Putin's attendance at the G20 summit, Peskov indicated that a trilateral meeting between Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping could take place during the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19. This potential meeting was reportedly discussed during a September 8 phone call between Putin and Trump.