Finnish President Says Zelensky and Putin May Meet in November at G20 Summit in South Africa

Finnish President Alexander Stubb suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could meet in late November during the G20 summit in South Africa.

He is quoted by the Finnish media MTV Uutiset.

Stubb stressed that while there is currently no sign of a quick ceasefire or truce, "the work behind the scenes will continue".

Last week, he discussed the situation in Ukraine with the presidents of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The leaders of these countries are scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, and Tokayev will later meet with Putin in Moscow.

The President of Finland believes that Central Asian countries can potentially act as mediators between the White House and the Kremlin.

He added that Finlandʼs approach to the war in Ukraine remains unchanged — military and economic pressure on Russia must be increased to force Putin to the negotiating table. According to Stubb, a possible opportunity for this could arise in late November in South Africa.

"If the situation develops as expected over the next two to three weeks, then perhaps the G20 summit in Johannesburg will be the venue for Putin and Zelensky to meet," Stubb suggested.

The G20 summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 22-23, 2025. Donald Trump does not plan to attend the event. The US Vice President J.D. Vance will travel to Africa in his place.

Putin also did not confirm his participation in the summit. This may be due to the fact that South Africa ratified the Rome Statute, and is therefore obliged to comply with the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

And on March 17, 2023, ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and the Commissioner for Childrenʼs Rights Maria Lvova-Belova for the illegal deportation of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

• On October 23, the US President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Hungary. If the meeting had taken place, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky could have joined it.

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