Lavrov, who held a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, United States, indicated that his country would guarantee Zelenskyy’s safety and security—noting, however, that such guarantees could not be provided in Kyiv, the diplomatic ministry’s statement highlighted.

On September 12, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described any potential meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy during the G20 summit in Miami as entirely “impossible.”

That same month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Washington had invited Putin to the G20 summit.

In response, the Kremlin spokesperson stated that Russia appreciated the invitation and would consider it.

U.S. President Donald Trump had previously pointed to the need for a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine, adding that he would “love” for Putin to attend the G20 summit.

The G20 consists of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.

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