Zelensky Offers to Meet Putin on Sidelines of G7 Summit in Evian; Moscow Yet to Respond

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he has proposed a private meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit scheduled to take place in Evian, France, from June 15 to 17. Zelensky told reporters that he saw the gathering of world leaders as an unusually favorable setting for such a meeting because it would include representatives from Europe and the United States.

"Биз Путинге G7 саммитинин жүрүшүндө жолугушууга даяр экенибиз тууралуу билдирүү жөнөттүк. Анткени ал жерде Дональд Трамп жана Эммануэл Макрон болот. Башкача айтканда, Европа менен АКШ өкүлдөрү катышат. Менимче, баарыбыз чогуу жолугушуубуз үчүн бул абдан жакшы мүмкүнчүлүк", – деди Зеленский. The Kyrgyz-language remark underscores Zelensky’s emphasis on the presence of high-profile leaders — including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron — as a potential safeguard and witness to any direct engagement with Moscow’s head of state.

According to reporting by RBC-Ukraine, the Ukrainian offer was transmitted to Moscow through a combination of intermediaries and official diplomatic and intelligence channels. As of Zelensky’s announcement, Russian authorities had not issued a public response. The lack of an immediate reply leaves open whether Moscow will accept the proposal or decline, as it did earlier this month in response to a different overture.

Zelensky previously extended an invitation to Putin in an open letter published on June 4; the Kremlin said the following day that it did not regard such a meeting as appropriate at that time. The latest offer, made in the context of the G7 summit, appears to be an attempt to renew efforts at direct negotiation with the backing — or at least the observation — of major Western leaders.

The summit in Evian is expected to include separate bilateral meetings for Zelensky, including an anticipated encounter with the U.S. president. International media outlets AFP and Politico reported that European leaders attending the summit are likely to try to persuade President Trump to maintain or increase pressure on Russia and to back cooperative projects to scale up production of drones for Ukraine. Such decisions at the G7 could shape the political and military context in which any direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow would take place.

Analysts and diplomats have long debated the value of direct encounters between the leaders of the two countries, particularly when hostilities are ongoing and allegations of rights abuses and other violations have been made. For Ukraine, a meeting held in the presence of other Western leaders could serve to increase scrutiny and make clear that any discussions would occur under international observation. For Russia, debate within the Kremlin about the advisability of direct talks with Zelensky has led to mixed public signals in the past.

At the time of publication, Zelensky’s office had positioned the overture as a pragmatic step to seize a rare opportunity when many of the world’s most influential leaders are gathered in one place. Moscow’s silence leaves open multiple possible trajectories: acceptance and a face-to-face encounter, a formal refusal, or a negotiated alternative that stops short of a summit meeting. Each outcome would carry political implications for international efforts to address accountability, humanitarian concerns and the course of the conflict.

The proposal comes as the international community watches closely for coordinated measures from the G7 to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia. How leaders at the summit respond — both to the idea of a direct meeting and to broader policy measures under discussion — will be closely observed by governments and rights organizations monitoring the conflict and its humanitarian and legal consequences.

RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz service originally reported the story, citing local-language remarks by President Zelensky and references to RBC-Ukraine reporting on how the offer was transmitted. International outlets AFP and Politico provided additional context regarding summit-level discussions among Western leaders and their objectives heading into Evian.