&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘If invited, I’ll...’: Volodymyr Zelensky on joining Trump-Putin summit in Hungary")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is open to join Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump at their upcoming summit in Hungary if he receives an invitation. Zelensky's statement followed after US President Trump and Russian President Putin announced plans to meet in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, within the next few weeks as part of Washington’s renewed effort to broker a peace deal to end the three-and-a-half-year war, triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion.
"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," Zelensky said on Monday, news agency AFP reported.
Why Zelensky criticised the choice of Hungary as the venue?
Zelensky, however, criticised the choice of Hungary as the venue, noting the country's terse relationship with Kyiv and its reputation as the most Kremlin-sympathetic member of the European Union.
Referring to Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, the Ukrainian President said, "I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution."
Kyiv has confirmed that it is ready to join a three-way meeting between Zelensky, Putin and Trump along with neutral countries which include Turkey, Switzerland and the Vatican.
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Meanwhile, Moscow signed a memorandum in Budapest in 1994, which ensure security for Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus in exchange for numerous nuclear weapons left from the Soviet era. "Another 'Budapest' scenario wouldn't be positive either," Zelensky added.
Ever since Donald Trump came into power, he has been aiming and advocating for a speedy end to the years-long conflict in Ukraine. He led to a series of direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials as well as hosting Putin for a summit in Alaska, but the diplomatic efforts could not lead to any significant results.
