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.
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.
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 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.
Both Ukraine and Russia called US President Donald Trump on his 80th birthday on 14 June, a day before the G7 summit in France, Suspilne reported. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy offered "good ideas" for peace and agreed to meet Trump at the summit. The Kremlin said Putin spoke to Trump separately and arranged for US envoys to return to Moscow, while insisting Zelenskyy should come to the Russian capital for talks.
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that he congratulated Trump on his birthday and discussed "many key things, including of course peace" in "quite some detail." Presidential advisor Dmytro Lytvyn said the call lasted 30-35 minutes, Suspilne reported.
"I wished President Trump success, first and foremost in his efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine. I also thanked him for all the support America provides Ukraine, and importantly, we gratefully remember every step of this support, from Javelins to Patriots," Zelenskyy said.
He added that he discussed "what can help bring peace closer now" and briefed Trump on the latest battlefield developments.
"I informed the President about the latest battlefield developments and how our position has strengthened. We agreed to discuss more during our meeting at the G7 summit. We have some good ideas that could help bring peace closer and protect lives," Zelenskyy wrote.
The G7 summit takes place in Evian, France, on 15-17 June. Both leaders attend the same working session on Tuesday.
The Kremlin said Putin and Trump spoke for 55 minutes the same day. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stated at a briefing that the conversation was "friendly and frank" and that Putin congratulated Trump on his 80th birthday, TASS reported. Trump allegedly told Putin he was the first foreign leader to call on his birthday.
Ushakov claimed Trump advocated for ending the war and allegedly expressed readiness to influence Kyiv and European politicians to move in that direction. They agreed that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Moscow again "in the near future," Ushakov stated.
Ushakov also stated that Putin told Trump that if Zelenskyy wants personal negotiations, "he should come to the Russian capital himself."
Russia's demand that Zelenskyy come to Moscow is not new. The Kremlin has maintained the same position throughout over a year of US-mediated contacts, insisting on bilateral talks on Russian terms while rejecting every multilateral or European-backed ceasefire proposal.
Witkoff has visited Moscow multiple times since early 2025. None of those trips produced a ceasefire. When the US, Ukraine, and European partners put a 22-point ceasefire plan on the table in May 2025, the Kremlin snubbed it. Russia's terms have remained unchanged since 2024: Ukraine's withdrawal from four oblasts and de facto capitulation.
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