According to The South China Morning Post, on June 15 local time, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he was willing to meet with Russian President Putin in the United States, and hinted that Putin would find this invitation 'more difficult to refuse'.
Zelenskyy said that he made this suggestion during his conversation with U.S. President Trump, and is currently awaiting the outcome. “On the 14th, we discussed with Trump the possibility of organizing such a meeting in the United States. This arrangement would make it more difficult for Putin to refuse. We will watch the developments, and if Russia again misses this opportunity, additional pressure will be necessary.”
Regarding the invitation to the G7 summit, Zelenskyy said that Russia “once again demonstrated that it is not ready to discuss this issue yet.”
Zelenskyy earlier said that Putin ignored the invitation to meet with him at the G7 Summit. The summit opened in France on the morning of the 15th local time.
A source from the office of a Ukrainian president told several journalists that this proposal was “dispatched through intermediaries, diplomats, and intelligence agencies some time ago. No clear response has been received.”
In early June, Putin responded to Zelensky’s proposal for face-to-face negotiations by saying that he had no intention of meeting with Zelensky at this stage.
He emphasized that he couldn’t see the significance of any meeting. The Ukrainian side wants a ceasefire, with the sole purpose of preventing Russian troops from advancing. What Russia desires is a long-term treaty, and its validity period should not be limited to just three or five months. It would be better to let experts from both sides negotiate and develop a plan. Only after the plan is finalized can the premise for meeting and negotiations be established.
