Zelenskyy eyes invite to Trump-Putin talks in Budapest

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has stated that he would attend the summit that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have been holding.

Zelenskyy said he would participate if given an invitation, and he did on Monday. Given Viktor Orban’s friendly relations with Moscow and his antagonistic attitude toward Kyiv, the Ukrainian president is uncertain about the location of the meeting in Budapest.

We will agree if I am invited to Budapest, Zelenskyy said, if it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three or, as it’s known, shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me, in one way or another.

Although it is believed that the summit will take place in the Hungarian capital in the coming weeks, no specific date has been given.

Since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022, Trump has continued to push for an end to the conflict.

The US leader veers in his approach and doesn’t make any specific recommendations. However, his frustrations with the sluggish peace efforts has increased.

He expressed disappointment in recent months with Putin over his inability to make any meaningful concessions following their August meeting in Alaska. He has suggested that the US might send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which Moscow claimed would escalate the conflict.

“We remain where we are.”

Trump stated in late September that he thinks Ukraine could reclaim all of its territory with the assistance of NATO and the European Union.

However, he changed his tune this week after making a phone call to Putin and demanding that the current battle lines be frozen.

Zelenskyy, who reportedly discussed the subject of the White House summit with Trump on Friday, said he accepts the idea of freezing the front lines but demanded that Moscow be put under more pressure.

After many rounds of discussion with [Trump] and his team over the course of more than two hours, Zelenskyy stated on Sunday that his message is “we stand where we stand on the front lines.”

Zelenskyy expressed concern for the host at the Budapest summit ahead of time.

As the most apropiat EU leader to Russia, Orban has tried to thwart Kyiv’s efforts to secure Western support on numerous occasions and has attempted to halt aid from the bloc to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy expressed his doubts about Orban’s ability to “make a balanced contribution” or “can do anything for Ukrainians.”

Due to Trump’s warm relations with Orban and Putin’s positive relations with Orban, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who spoke to reporters in Budapest on Monday.

However, it is also noteworthy that Putin’s arrest is being sought after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues a warrant.

Hungary hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has also been charged with war crimes, earlier this year, to begin the process of leaving the ICC.

The Russian leader’s arrest warrant has been confirmed by Budapest.

Zelenskyy also warned against a second “Budapest scenario” in reference to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia and other powers offered security to Ukraine and other former Soviet nations in exchange for their surrendering their nuclear arsenals in the wake of the Soviet Union.

Kaja Kallas, the head of European foreign policy, expressed disappointment with Hungary regarding Putin’s potential trip to the bloc.

As she arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas lamented that it was unfortunate that someone who was being sought by the ICC arrest warrant was visiting a European nation.

The Hague, in front of the tribunal, is the only place for Putin to be in Europe, according to Lithuania’s foreign minister, Kestutis Budrys. Not any of our capitals.

Kallas added that this week’s 19th overall round of EU sanctions against Russia is likely to be approved.

According to Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, the summit was only just getting started.

Source: Aljazeera