Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced reservations about plans to hold a Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest, suggesting the Hungarian capital may not be the most suitable venue for such high-stakes talks.
US President, Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the Hungarian capital, possibly in a matter of weeks, as the US leader continues to try to broker a peace deal to end the three-and-a-half-year war.
Zelenskyy told reporters in remarks released today, “I do not consider Budapest to be the best venue for such a meeting.” Nonetheless, he added, “Obviously, if it can bring peace, it will not matter which country hosts the meeting.” he added.
Hungary has a terse relationship with Ukraine and is seen as the most Kremlin-sympathetic member of the European Union.
Referring to the Hungarian leader, Viktor Orbán, Zelenskyy averred, “I do not believe that a Prime Minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution.”
He said that Trump was looking to end the war and hopes his meeting in the coming weeks with Putin in Hungary — which does not support Ukraine — will pave the way for a peace deal after their first summit in Alaska in August failed to reach such an outcome.
Also, the Ukrainian President said that he would be ready to join Russia’s Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, at their summit in Hungary if he is invited.
“If I am invited to Budapest – if it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three or, as it’s called, shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me – then in one format or another, we will agree.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Additionally, Zelenskyy noted that his reportedly tense meeting with Trump last week was “positive” even though he did not secure the Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine, and emphasized what he said is continued American interest in economic deals with Kyiv.
According to Zelenskyy, Trump said during their meeting that Putin’s maximalist demand that Ukraine cede the entirety of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions was unchanged.
Zelenskyy said that because Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the current front line his overall message “is positive” for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also expressed skepticism about Putin’s proposal to swap some territory it holds in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions if Ukraine surrenders all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. “We wanted to understand exactly what the Russians meant. So far, there is no clear position,” he said.
Zelenskyy said that he thinks that all parties have “moved closer” to a possible end to the war.
“That doesn’t mean it will definitely end, but President Trump has achieved a lot in the Middle East, and riding that wave he wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Kremlin Voices Support For Budapest As Trump-Putin Meeting Venue
Meanwhile, the Kremlin voiced support for Budapest as Trump-Putin meeting venue.
Kremlin Spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov asserted that Budapest was chosen as the venue for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump because Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warm ties with Trump and constructive ties with Putin.
Peskov told reporters that work was only just beginning on the summit, which would be aimed at advancing a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, and developing relations between Russia and the United States.
Russia said that it was engaged in serious work with the United States to seek a peace deal in Ukraine but accused Ukraine of sending contradictory signals that made the process harder.
He declined to give any further information about the most recent phone call between the two leaders last week.
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