Lavrov denies Kyiv Independent reporting on Russian push for Putin-Zelensky phone call

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Oct. 30 denied that Moscow seeks to arrange a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky instead of a face-to-face meeting.

Ukrainian officials cited by the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 30 privately believe Moscow is pushing for a phone conversation that would achieve little while helping Putin avoid meeting Zelensky in person.

One Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Kyiv Independent that Russia had already attempted to arrange such a call.

"Don't trust them," Lavrov said to Deutsche Welle journalists at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Miami when asked about the reports.

The Russian minister avoided directly answering whether Putin was ready to speak with Zelensky by phone, instead reiterating that the Ukrainian president "should travel to Moscow" for a bilateral meeting.

Asked about a possible meeting at the upcoming G20 summit in December, Lavrov pointed out that Ukraine is not a member of the group.

Since Zelensky became president, his direct communications with Putin have been limited — just two calls and one face-to-face meeting, all in 2019 and 2020.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in 2025, Ukraine has made several attempts to arrange a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Now, every time the Ukrainian side raises the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders, the Kremlin challenges Zelensky to come to Moscow. The Ukrainian president, in turn, has called on Putin to meet him in a neutral location.

Asked on Oct. 30 if Putin would answer if Zelensky called, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "he hasn't called yet."

One senior Ukrainian official questioned in a conversation with the Kyiv Independent whether a phone call could resolve the issues at stake without U.S. involvement.

Ukrainian officials fear that Moscow's insistence on a phone call could give it another reason to walk away from talks without making meaningful commitments. They argue a meeting with third parties would better address the disputes.