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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated his willingness to participate in a proposed summit in Hungary alongside Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, should an invitation be extended.
Following a recent phone conversation, the US and Russian presidents announced plans to hold discussions regarding the conflict in Ukraine, potentially in Budapest within the coming weeks.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Zelensky stated, “If it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three or, as it’s called, shuttle diplomacy… then in one format or another, we will agree”.
However, recent media reports suggest that Zelensky’s meeting with Trump at the White House on Friday was marked by significant disagreements, with the US reportedly urging Ukraine to accept Russia’s terms to achieve a cessation of hostilities.
Zelensky’s remarks during his first press briefing following the talks, while carefully worded, suggested substantial differences remained between the two parties.
He described the meeting as frank, emphasizing that he conveyed to Trump his priority was a just peace, rather than a swift resolution at any cost.
Zelensky also voiced criticism regarding Hungary as a potential location for Trump-Putin talks, asserting that Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom Kyiv and many EU leaders view as a Kremlin ally, would be unable to provide a balanced contribution or act constructively for Ukrainians.
When questioned by reporters on Friday about Zelensky’s potential involvement in the Budapest meeting, Trump stated his intention to “make it comfortable for everybody”.
“We’ll be involved in threes, but it may be separated,” he said, adding the three leaders “have to get together”.
According to Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a “constructive” phone call on Monday, addressing preparations for the prospective Budapest summit.
Zelensky’s visit to the White House, during which he reportedly hoped to secure US Tomahawk missiles, concluded without a firm commitment from Trump on the matter.
Media reports have indicated that the atmosphere during the Trump-Zelensky meeting was more contentious than initially portrayed.
The Financial Times reported, citing sources familiar with the conversation, that Trump warned Zelensky that Putin would “destroy” Ukraine if he did not agree to its terms.
The US delegation reportedly echoed Russian viewpoints during the “volatile” meeting, with Trump allegedly dismissing maps of the Ukrainian front lines and urging Zelensky to cede the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia.
Following the meeting, Trump suggested on social media that Russia and Ukraine “should stop where they are,” referencing the current expansive front line.
“Let both claim Victory, let History decide!” he stated.
Zelensky responded by affirming his readiness for an immediate ceasefire, but insisted that Ukraine “will not gift anything to the aggressor.”
Commenting on the proposed freezing of the front line, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that Russia’s position remained “unchanged,” without providing further details.
Moscow has consistently demanded a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Ukraine’s four regions in the south-east – Donetsk, Luhansk (collectively known as Donbas), Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – alongside several other stringent conditions.
Kyiv and its allies contend that these demands are tantamount to a de facto capitulation.
Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.
“We really didn’t get what we wanted,” Ukrainian political analyst Mykola Davyduik said of the latest Trump-Zelensky meeting.
“A few days after, we received some insights from the meeting and some threats and pressure that the Ukrainian side received there,” he told the BBC.
However, he added: “I don’t think that Trump is fully and completely on Putin’s side, and he is trying to play mediator… and that is his kind of style and how he behaves in such a situation.”
Ivan Stupak, a former member of Ukraine’s security and intelligence service (SBU), suggested that reports of acrimony were likely exaggerated.
“I’m totally sure that this meeting was neutral, not negative, not a disaster,” he told the BBC, adding that tempers sometimes flare, even between allies.
“It’s not Disneyland, it’s not a kindergarten. It’s a meeting of two men and two leaders.”
Just last month, Trump appeared to take a major shift in his position on ending the war by saying Kyiv could “win all of Ukraine back in its original form”, referring to Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
He said at the time that his position had changed “after getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia military and economic situation”.
In a new twist on Monday, Trump said that Ukraine “could still win it”, adding: “I don’t think they will… Anything can happen… war is a very strange thing.”
Trump had previously warned the process would likely involve Ukraine giving up some territory – an outcome Zelensky has consistently rejected.
The US president has been pressuring Nato nations, as well as China and India, to stop purchasing Russian oil in a bid to create further economic pressure on Moscow to end the conflict.
He also previously threatened Russia with tougher sanctions if Putin did not meet deadlines to make progress in ending the war, though he did not follow through with those threats.
Trump’s public relations with Zelensky had also vastly improved in recent months, after an Oval Office meeting in February during which he and Vice-President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian president on live television.
During his re-election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to office.
Zelensky does not share Trump’s apparent confidence that Russia’s Putin is acting in good faith.
If Putin does go to Budapest to meet Trump in the next two weeks, he would need to clear a few hurdles first.
Following the meeting, Trump calls for Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war.
You have to “force Russia to come to the negotiating table” and that is the deal the US leader is trying to make,” Alexander Stubb said.
How Russia’s gradual gains in the face of fierce Ukrainian opposition have affected the front line in recent months.
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