Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is open to direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin during this week’s G7 summit in France—or even in the United States—as Kyiv intensifies diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the ongoing war.
Speaking from Kyiv on Monday, inside a historic monastery recently damaged in a Russian strike, Zelenskyy framed the proposal as a rare opportunity to bring global leaders together in one high-level diplomatic setting.
He said the idea would bring together key figures including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron alongside European partners in an effort to force momentum toward peace.
“A Good Opportunity to Meet All Together”
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine had proposed the G7 summit as a possible venue for direct engagement with Moscow.
“We gave message that we are ready to meet with Putin during the G7, because Trump is there and Macron is there, so Europeans plus America.
This is a good opportunity to meet all together,” he told reporters.
According to him, both European allies and the United States have shown openness to the idea, but he accused Moscow of refusing to participate in meaningful dialogue.
“Russia demonstrated again that they are not ready to speak,” he said.
Proposal Extended to US-Hosted Format
The Ukrainian leader also revealed that he had discussed the possibility of a U.S.-hosted meeting with Trump during a recent phone call, suggesting such a setting could increase diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin.
He said a U.S.-based format could make it more difficult for Putin to decline participation.
“Such a meeting could be organised in the US in a format that would make it much harder for Putin to refuse,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.
A Ukrainian official confirmed that the proposal had been communicated to American, French, and Russian counterparts, although no formal response has yet been received from Moscow.
Renewed Strikes and Escalating Pressure
Zelenskyy’s remarks come amid continued Russian strikes across Ukraine.
He accused Putin of acting “cynically” following overnight attacks that reportedly killed at least 10 people in Kyiv and Kharkiv.
Despite the escalation, Zelenskyy said his immediate priority at the G7 summit would be securing additional air defence systems to protect Ukrainian cities from ongoing missile and drone attacks.
Focus on Ending the War
“We will speak with him about how to push Putin to stop this war,” he said, referring to upcoming discussions with Trump and European leaders.
The proposal marks one of Kyiv’s most direct public invitations for face-to-face talks between the two leaders since the early phase of the conflict, underscoring renewed international efforts to explore diplomatic pathways while fighting continues on the ground.
