Zelenskyy ready to meet Putin at G20 summit in Miami, US — DW
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to attend the G20 leaders' summit in Miami, United States, scheduled for December, if Vladimir Putin, the leader of the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — is present there. The head of state said this in an interview with Deutsche Welle, conducted on September 11 at Canadian Forces Base North Bay.
Asked about a possible trip to Miami, Zelenskyy answered in the affirmative. According to him, it is necessary to meet, talk and make decisions, while results are more important than words. Zelenskyy and Putin have not met in person since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin has not yet said whether Putin will travel to the summit in Miami. The Russian leader has not attended G20 summits in person since 2019.
Need for Patriot missiles
Zelenskyy also spoke about Ukraine's need for missiles for Patriot systems ahead of the cold months. He noted that Ukraine is having difficulty countering jet-powered drones, which Russia is using increasingly often.
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According to Zelenskyy's estimate, Russia produces 140 ballistic missiles every month. He said that, under NATO rules, 280 missiles are needed to intercept that number, but even securing 100 missiles per month is a serious challenge. The president stated that Ukraine needs 100–120 missiles during the most difficult months, including the cold months.
Germany this week announced its intention to transfer Patriot missiles from its stocks, without specifying their number. Zelenskyy called on European partners to provide as much support as possible to protect the lives of Ukrainians. He also reported agreements with several European companies on developing the Freya missile defense system under Ukraine's leadership and expressed hope that its first testing phase would begin before the end of December.
Negotiations, energy and grain
The president called the visit to Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner a positive signal. He stated that Ukraine is in a good position for negotiations because, in his assessment, Russia loses more than 30,000 military personnel every month while making minor gains on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy added that he discussed with the envoys a possible ceasefire concerning energy and grain as a first step toward negotiations. According to DW, Russia's de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports in Odesa Oblast led to a 76% year-on-year drop in Ukrainian grain exports as of August.
