BERLIN, Sept 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 
he would be willing to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit 
in Miami for talks on ending the war, in a media interview released Saturday.

The Kremlin said it has not yet made a decision on whether Putin would attend 
the gathering of world leaders in December, and repeated the Russian leader's 
demand that Zelensky come to Russia for talks.

Washington is seeking to kick-start long-stalled negotiations to find a 
solution to the conflict, Europe's deadliest since World War II, with US 
negotiators recently visiting Kyiv and Moscow and President Donald Trump and 
Putin this week holding talks on the conflict over the phone.

The United States holds this year's presidency of the Group of 20 major 
economies, which comprises 19 countries plus the European Union and the 
African Union, and culminates in the December 14-15 leaders' summit.

Russia's finance minister has already attended a G20 meeting, causing 
discomfort among some of Ukraine's European allies, and a Russian delegation 
is set to take part in an energy ministers' gathering next week.

Asked whether he would be willing to meet Putin at the December summit if 
both leaders were invited, Zelensky told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle: 
"Yes, of course.

"We have to come. We have to meet, to speak, and make decisions. It's not 
about words. What I will tell him or what he wants to tell me, it doesn't 
matter."

All that mattered were "results", he added.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited by Russia's TASS news agency as 
saying that "we do not know yet whether we will be going to Miami".

Peskov repeated Putin's demand that Zelensky come to Russia -- which launched 
a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, triggering the war -- for any 
talks: "If he really wants to meet Putin, then Putin has said before that he 
can fly to Moscow."

Last weekend, US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow 
and Putin and Trump also discussed the war during the week in what the 
Kremlin termed an "extremely frank" and constructive hour-long phone call.

In the Deutsche Welle interview, which took place Friday in Canada, Zelensky 
said that Witkoff and Kushner's visit was a "good signal", and it was 
important the pair had visited Kyiv as well as Moscow.

"It's respect to our people," he said.

Zelensky has also announced he plans to meet Trump in late September, as 
Washington pushes for fresh face-to-face talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

- 'Good position for talks' -

Asked about Ukraine's position ahead of possible negotiations, Zelensky 
responded: "Ukraine now is much more stronger than last year on the 
battlefield.

"That's why we think that we have now (a) good position for negotiations."

Kyiv has said the talks could happen as early as this month, but the Kremlin 
on Monday said it was "too early" to discuss a venue or dates.

Several previous rounds of negotiations have failed. Trust between the sides 
is low, and there is no sign that Moscow or Kyiv have shifted their 
positions.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have escalated long-range strikes on each other in 
recent months, leading to the highest civilian death toll since the early 
days of the war.

Overnight Russian strikes killed four people in Ukraine, including two in 
Zaporizhzhia in the south and two at an ArcelorMittal plant in central Kryvyi 
Rih, local authorities and the steelmaker said Saturday.

In the southern port city of Odesa, Russian missile and drone strikes hit 
residential buildings, destroying entire floors and leaving 35 people 
injured, the regional governor said.

In the interview, Zelensky also repeated his call for Ukraine's allies to 
provide more missiles to fend off Russian air attacks.

Ukraine urgently needs more interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air 
defence systems, but US supplies have been reduced after Washington used 
large numbers during its war with Iran.

It was not clear whether Washington would provide enough missiles, said 
Zelensky, adding that they have "political will to sell and to help, but the 
production is not too big".

He also urged greater help from European allies: "All the Europeans who 
really support us have what we need."