Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G7 summit in France, describing it as an important opportunity to advance diplomatic efforts to end the war.
"We sent the message that we are ready to meet with Putin during the G7, because Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron are there, so the United States and European leaders. I think it would be a very good opportunity for us to all get together. Europe and the United States agreed, and Russia showed again... that it is not ready to talk," Zelensky told reporters.
According to him, Ukraine had proposed holding this meeting within the framework of the summit, but the Russian president was not willing to participate in the talks.
Zelensky made the comments from a historic monastery in Kiev, which was damaged in an overnight Russian attack. He added that the United States had agreed to the idea of such a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
The Ukrainian president's statements come at a time when international efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine remain the focus of world leaders.
