President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had proposed meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. On Monday, speaking at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which was damaged during Russia’s overnight missile and drone attack, Zelensky said Ukraine had suggested a meeting involving Putin, US President Donald Trump, and European leaders attending the summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to Reuters, Zelensky said Washington and European partners supported the idea, but Moscow showed no willingness to participate. “We gave a message that we are ready to meet with Putin during G7, because Trump is there and Macron is there, so Europeans plus America. This is a very good opportunity to meet all together,” Zelensky told reporters. “Europe and the United States agreed, but Russia demonstrated again that they are not ready to speak,” he added. A Ukrainian official told Reuters that Kyiv informed both the US and French governments about the proposal and also passed the invitation directly to Russian representatives. No clear answer was received, the official said. Latest attempt to launch direct talks The proposal follows Zelensky’s recent public call for a direct meeting with Putin to help end Russia’s full-scale invasion and achieve a ceasefire. Earlier this month, Zelensky published an open letter suggesting a summit in a neutral country such as Switzerland, Turkey, or an Arab state, with the US and Europe participating as potential security mediators.