Finnish president suggests Trump, Zelensky could meet Putin at G20 summit in South Africa
Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Nov. 3 suggested a possible meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. at the G20 summit in South Africa in late November.
The Kremlin previously said that Putin is not expected to attend the event, which is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg between Nov. 22 and 23. Trump also said he would skip the meeting, with Vice President JD Vance to represent the U.S. instead.
The Kyiv Independent has reached out to the Ukrainian Presidential Office for comment.
According to Stubb, work on ending the war in Ukraine continues behind the scenes. The Finnish president said that he discussed the situation last week with the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, who will meet with Trump on Nov. 6 and travel to Moscow the following week.
"Central Asian countries could potentially act as messengers between the White House and the Kremlin," Stubb said at a press conference in Helsinki, according to MTV Uutiset news channel.
The Finnish president added that "if things go as expected over the next two to three weeks, then perhaps the place where presidents Putin and Zelensky could meet would be the G20 summit in Johannesburg."
Trump has sought to organize an in-person meeting between Putin and Zelensky as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has long avoided such a meeting, repeatedly saying that certain "conditions" must be met beforehand and only suggesting talks with Zelensky in Moscow.
The Ukrainian president has ruled out meeting Putin in Russia as long as Moscow's aggression continues, but repeatedly voiced readiness to meet the Russian leader on neutral ground.
Trump's months-long push to end the war in Ukraine, marked by frequent and radical shifts in Washington's policy, has shown little progress as Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire and pushes territorial demands.
A planned summit between Putin and Trump in Budapest has been scrapped, reportedly after the U.S. administration realized the Kremlin refuses to compromise on its maximalist demands.
Since Trump returned to office in January, he has met Putin only once, during a high-level summit in Alaska on Aug. 15.
Stubb says he sees no grounds for another meeting between Putin and Trump before the G20 summit.
Yuliia Taradiuk
