Zelensky says open to joining Trump-Putin summit in Hungary 'if invited'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is open to joining Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at a planned summit in Hungary, provided he is invited.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Zelensky said, “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 — then in one format or another, we will agree.”

His remarks came after Trump and Putin announced plans to meet in Budapest in the coming weeks as part of Washington’s renewed push to end the three-and-a-half-year war that began with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Media reports suggested Zelensky’s recent meeting with Trump in Washington turned heated, with the US side allegedly urging Ukraine to accept Russian terms for peace. Zelensky described the talks as “frank,” saying his goal remained a just peace, not a quick peace.

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He also criticised Hungary as the summit venue, arguing that Prime Minister Viktor Orban “could not do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution.”

When asked whether Zelensky would join the Budapest talks, Trump said he wanted to “make it comfortable for everybody,” adding that the discussions “may be separated” but the three leaders “have to get together.”

Zelensky had sought US Tomahawk missiles to strike deeper into Russia but reportedly left empty-handed, as Trump remained non-committal. The Financial Times later reported that Trump warned Zelensky Putin would “destroy” Ukraine if he didn’t agree to Moscow’s terms — a claim not confirmed by either side.

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Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While Trump earlier suggested Kyiv might need to cede some territory for peace, he recently said Ukraine could “win all of its land back in its original form,” claiming his stance changed after understanding the situation more deeply.

“Another ‘Budapest’ scenario wouldn’t be positive either,” Zelensky added, referring to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine surrendered its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances from Russia and the US.