Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would be ready to join Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump at their summit in Hungary if he is invited.
Trump and Putin said they would 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, triggered by Russia's 2022 attack.
“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,” Zelenskyy told reporters in remarks released on Monday.
The Ukrainian president criticised the choice of Hungary, which has a tense relationship with Kiev and is seen as the most Kremlin-sympathetic member of the European Union.
“I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.
Kiev has said it is ready to join a three-way meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin and Trump in a number of neutral countries, including Türkiye, Switzerland and the Vatican.
In 1994, Moscow signed a memorandum in Budapest aimed at ensuring security for Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in exchange for them giving up numerous nuclear weapons left from the Soviet era.
“Another ‘Budapest’ scenario wouldn’t be positive either,” Zelenskyy said.
Trump has been aiming for a speedy end to the years-long conflict in Ukraine since he returned to White House earlier this year, pushing for a series of direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials and hosting Putin for a summit in Alaska — diplomatic efforts that have ultimately not led to any breakthrough.
Patriot systems
Zelenskyy also said that his country and the US are preparing a contract for the supply of 25 Patriot air defence systems to Kiev.
“We are preparing a contract for 25 Patriot systems. I believe this is a very good story - not easy, but long-term,” Zelenskyy said, noting that the request was made by Ukraine’s Air Force.
Zelenskyy highlighted that there is a queue in the production of Patriots involving countries that have concluded the relevant contracts with the manufacturer, due to which Kiev will receive these systems each year in varying numbers.
“The White House can change the queue if there is political will. We understand which European countries can give us priority in the queue. There is more positivity on this issue - we are working now to obtain the necessary solutions,” Zelenskyy went on to say.
Regarding the issue of potential long-range Tomahawk cruise missile deliveries to Ukraine by the US, Zelenskyy said that he believes his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin called US President Donald Trump last Thursday because of his rhetoric on the matter.
He argued that Russia’s position on a Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donbas region has not changed, adding that he explained to Trump during his meeting with him in Washington, DC on Friday that Kiev’s position in this regard has not changed either.
In August, Zelenskyy denied that Kiev would give up the eastern region to Moscow in exchange for a ceasefire, arguing this would “open a bridgehead” for Russia for a future offensive against his country.
