Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted to meet with President Vladimir Putin if the Russian leader attends the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Miami in December.
Zelensky was asked in an interview with DW about meeting with Putin during the G20 summit. “Yes, of course. We have to come. We have to meet, to speak and make decisions,” he replied. “It’s not about words. What I will tell him or what he wants to tell me, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Results matter. That’s it.”
The meeting may be unlikely, as Putin has not said whether he will attend the summit. Ukraine is not a G20 member and is not currently listed among the non-member states invited to attend.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine have increased this month. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held positive meetings with both Putin and Zelensky.
On Friday, Kushner said the main issue preventing a deal is Zelensky’s refusal to withdraw his forces from territory claimed by Russia. “President Putin laid out his line of what he wants to achieve,” he explained. “If Ukraine wanted to withdraw to that line, then obviously, you know, we have the rest of the deal set up and put together. Ukraine right now does not want to do that.”
Kushner said the US is seeking a “creative solution” to resolve the impasse.
Zelensky also emphasized Ukraine’s need for more military support from the West to continue to fight the war. The Ukrainian leader said Kiev’s biggest need is air defense.
“Russia [currently] produces 140 ballistic missiles per month. So, according to the rules of NATO, if you want to destroy 140, you need a 1-to-2 [ratio], 280 [Patriot] missiles,” Zelensky told DW. “You will never have 280 missiles per month, and between us, it’s a huge challenge to have [even] 100 missiles per month. This is what I want. I want to have 100-120 for these difficult months, especially the cold months.”
Patriot missiles are the most advanced interceptors available to Kiev. Ukraine relies on Patriots to down Russian ballistic missiles. However, Patriot interceptors are in short supply as the wars in Ukraine and Iran have strained Western stockpiles, and production has struggled to keep pace with demand.
“Will Americans be ready to give us [Patriots]? I don’t know. We will see,” Zelensky told DW.
