Zelensky offered Putin a meeting at the G7 summit or in the United States

(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he offered a meeting with Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit in France this week or even in the United States to discuss ending the four-year war, Reuters reported last night.

Zelensky, speaking at a historic monastery in Kyiv damaged in a Russian night attack, said the United States agreed to invite Putin to the gathering, which began in Evian-les-Bains.

"We said we are ready to meet with Putin during the G7 meeting, because Trump is there and Macron is there, so the Europeans plus America. This is a good, I think, a very good opportunity for all of us to meet together," Zelensky told reporters in English. "Europe and the United States agreed, and Russia again showed that... it is not ready to talk," he said.

Writing later on Telegram, Zelensky said that on Sunday he proposed to Trump in a phone call that he and the Russian president meet in the United States.

"Yesterday we spoke with President Trump about the possibility of organizing such a meeting in the U.S. in a format that would make it significantly harder for Putin to refuse, at least to refuse President Trump," he said.

"We will see what comes of this. If Russia rejects this opportunity as well, greater pressure will be needed."

A Ukrainian official said Zelensky informed the Americans and French President Emmanuel Macron about the proposal for talks at the G7 meeting. Ukraine also directly delivered the invitation to Russian counterparts, but received no clear response, the official said.

In an open letter to Putin this month, Zelensky offered him a meeting and suggested the war is increasing pressure on the Russian economy. In response, Putin publicly said he saw no reason for a meeting and that Ukrainian long-range drone attacks do not pose an economic threat.

At least ten people were killed in Russia's night attack on Kyiv and the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Monday.

Zelensky accused the Russian leader of acting "cynically" by launching the attack just hours after speaking on the phone with Trump.

Zelensky said his priority at the G7 meeting would be securing more air defense systems to defend against Russian attacks.

"We will have meetings with the Europeans, and also with President Trump. We will talk with him about how to pressure Putin to stop this war," he said.