Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, but Russia did not provide a clear response, Zelenskyy told journalists on 15 June, as reported by Reuters. US President Donald Trump, who met Zelenskyy at the summit on 16 June, stated that Russia "should make a deal" with Ukraine to end the war, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 16 June.
The offer was the latest in a series of Ukrainian proposals for high-level talks that the Kremlin has rejected or ignored. Putin had dismissed Zelenskyy's 4 June open letter proposing a bilateral leader-level meeting, and Russia's non-response to the G7 offer extended that pattern into a multilateral setting backed by both the United States and Europe, ISW reported.
G7 as a proposed venue
Speaking at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, damaged in Russia's overnight attack, Zelenskyy said the United States had agreed to invite Putin to the summit. "We sent a message about readiness to meet with Putin during the G7 summit, because Trump and Macron are there, so Europeans plus America. This is a good, I think a very good, opportunity to meet all together," he said. Ukraine transmitted the invitation through US and French channels and directly to Russian counterparts, a Ukrainian official told Reuters, but received no clear answer. The Élysée Palace did not respond to a request for comment.
"Europe and the United States reached agreement, and Russia once again demonstrated that they are not ready to talk," Zelenskyy said.
US as an alternative venue
Zelenskyy said on 15 June that he and Trump had discussed on 14 June the possibility of holding peace negotiations in the United States in a format designed to be more difficult for Putin to refuse, ISW reported. On 16 June, Zelenskyy said he wants talks with Putin held in a neutral country before the start of winter 2026–2027, naming the United States as a possible venue.
Kremlin disputes the account
Kremlin Presidential Aide Yuriy Ushakov claimed on 16 June that Russia had not received any offers to organize a Putin–Zelenskyy meeting in the United States, and said the possibility was not discussed during Putin and Trump's 14 June phone call, ISW reported. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov separately claimed that Zelenskyy had not invited Putin to meet on the G7 sidelines.
Ukraine has repeatedly offered to arrange high-level peace negotiations with Russian officials, including Zelenskyy's 4 June open letter to Putin proposing a head-of-state meeting, which Putin subsequently rejected, ISW reported.
