Zelenskyy eyes possible meeting with US and Russia during G20 summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine, the United States and Russia could meet during a G20 summit in the US but noted that a meeting between Washington and Moscow remains tentative and the venue has yet to be finalized.

According to reports, the group of 20 major economies including the US and Russia, not Ukraine is scheduled to host a summit in Miami in December.

Zelenskyy's statement, delivered to reporters in a WhatsApp media chat, reads: “The meeting could ​then take place in the United States during the G20 summit. But there ​has been no confirmation yet from either Russia or the United ⁠States. It could also be held in a European country.”

“This meeting could take place in one of the Middle ​Eastern countries. The United States has consistently mentioned the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia.”

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian negotiators conferred with US officials Friday with no further details made available. He also said that Europe needed its separate track for talks with Russia as relations between the two remain weighed down by Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

For those unversed, Trump has refused to impose tougher sanctions on Russia today over the more than four-year-old war, and Zelensky has condemned Trump for removing penalties on Russian diesel shipments.

Zelenskyy further clarified the Ukrainian military was barred from operating its anti-air defenses against Russian drone attacks due to speed regulatory hurdles on services provided by satellite company Starlink. He noted Ukraine was informed the speed limitations were caused by technical tests of Starlink terminals on the territory.