by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
KYIV/BUDAPEST/BRUSSELS (Worthy News) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he would be ready to attend a planned summit in Budapest between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin if formally 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,” Zelenskyy told reporters.
Trump and Putin are expected to meet in the Hungarian capital in the coming weeks as the U.S. president pushes to broker a peace deal to end the three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.
However, Zelenskyy voiced criticism of the choice of Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been accused of obstructing European aid to Kyiv and maintaining warm ties with Moscow.
“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.
The comments came as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the possible visit of Putin – who faces an international arrest warrant – to an EU member state as “not nice.”
Speaking before a meeting of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Kallas said that while Washington’s peace efforts were welcome, it was essential that Zelenskyy also meet with the Russian leader.
TRUMP FLOATS DIVIDING DONBAS
The diplomatic tensions followed Trump’s controversial weekend comments suggesting that the war might be ended by “cutting up” Ukraine’s Donbas region and leaving most of it to Russia. “Let it be cut the way it is,” Trump told reporters, adding that “they can negotiate something later on down the line.”
The remarks came after a tense White House meeting in which Trump reportedly pressed Zelenskyy to give up swaths of territory to secure a cease-fire.
Amid the uncertainty, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine plans to acquire 25 Patriot air-defense systems over several years. He said the systems would be delivered annually and that Kyiv was urging European partners to prioritize Ukraine in the production queue.
Patriot systems are considered among the few capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, which travel several times faster than the speed of sound.
Zelenskyy added that he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron about further measures to pressure Moscow. “Pressuring the one who started the war is the key to a denouement,” he wrote on social platform X, saying both leaders had agreed to meet soon.
As diplomatic efforts continue, Europe remains divided over how to balance sanctions and peace talks. Trump’s proposed summit in Hungary – a country viewed as the most Kremlin-friendly EU member – has already exposed deep fissures within the bloc.
The summit’s outcome, observers say, could shape the future of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, European unity, and the global response to Russian aggression.
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