Zelensky reveals failed attempt to arrange Putin talks at G7 meeting in France

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that he had suggested holding a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, but said Moscow was “not ready” to engage.

He noted that Putin has repeatedly refused face-to-face discussions aimed at ending the war now entering its fourth year.

The G7 leaders were convening in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Monday.

“Before the G7 started, I’ll be honest, we gave message that we are ready to meet with Putin during G7,” Zelensky said in English while visiting a Kyiv monastery recently damaged in overnight Russian attacks.

“Europeans plus America: this is a very good opportunity to meet all together and that’s why we (could) have been able to invite the Russian side,” he added in comments aired by Ukrainian media.

Zelensky said Western partners had agreed to the idea, but Russia had “once again demonstrated that it is not ready to speak about this.”

He called for sustained pressure on Putin “until he will end this war.”

According to a Ukrainian presidential source who spoke to AFP and other journalists, the idea had been “conveyed some time ago through various channels, via intermediaries, diplomats, and intelligence agencies.”

“No clear response was given,” the source said.

On the same day, Russian strikes killed at least 11 people across Ukraine.

The war began in 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion, marking Europe’s most severe conflict since World War II.

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