Zelenskyy ready to meet Putin at upcoming G20 summit in US

G20 Summit Proposal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Friday that he is prepared to travel to the United States to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit scheduled for December in Miami, telling German broadcaster DW that leaders must come together to speak and make decisions.

“Yes, of course. We have to come. We have to meet, to speak and make decisions,” Zelenskyy said at Canadian Forces Base North Bay during his visit to Canada. He added that the nature of any exchange matters less than the outcome, noting: “Results matter. That's it.” The two leaders last met face-to-face in December 2019 during a Normandy format summit in Paris, while Putin last attended a G20 summit in person in 2019 and has since participated via videoconference.

Winter Defense Requirements

Zelenskyy outlined Ukraine's urgent need for air defense missiles ahead of the winter period, stating that Kyiv requires 100 to 120 missiles monthly to counter Russian ballistic strikes. He claimed Moscow currently produces 140 such missiles per month, requiring 280 interceptor missiles under NATO standards to achieve a one-to-two ratio. “You will never have 280 missiles per month, and between us, it's a huge challenge to have (even) 100 missiles per month,” he said.

The Ukrainian president noted that supplies could come from US stockpiles or production lines, adding that he is also discussing potential deliveries with Middle Eastern partners without disclosing specific countries. Zelenskyy further stated that Ukraine expects to receive the first prototype of FREYJA, a pan-European anti-ballistic missile defense initiative launched by Kyiv earlier this year, for testing by the end of December before moving to full production.