Does Trump’s Nobel Prize hope to shape Ukraine’s discussions? What we know now.
President Donald Trump’s rush of Ukrainian peace contract raises concerns between European leaders and President Voldymir Zelensky. This is what we know.
Kiev, Aug. 21 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelenki said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to sit down for a bilateral meeting with him, Kiev wants a “strong response” from Washington.
President Donald Trump is trying to mediate peace between the two fighting countries, but has admitted that Putin, who Zelensky has sought a one-on-one sit-down, may not sign a contract.
“I responded quickly to the proposal for a bilateral meeting. We are ready. But what happens if the Russians aren’t ready?” Zelenskyy said in a comment released Thursday from a briefing with a reporter for Kyiv a day ago.
“If the Russians aren’t ready, we want to see a strong response from the US.”
Despite the recent gusts of diplomatic breeze between Trump and his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, the path to peace remained uncertain as Washington and his allies resolved what Kiev’s security guarantees looked like.
Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and now owns less than 20% of its neighbours, the conflict has become significantly intermittent, but has been progressing gradually in the east recently.
Zelensky said it is unclear what concessions Moscow was willing to make to end the war. Trump previously said that both Kiev and Moscow would need to give up the land.
“To discuss what Ukraine is willing to do, let’s first ask what Russia is willing to do,” Zelensky said. “We don’t know that.”
Responding to a question about Budapest, the Hungarian capital, which serves as a potential location for future Ukraine-Russia talks, Zelensky said it was “challenging.”
Hungary, the European Union’s closest ally, has offered to negotiate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine twice, Foreign Minister Peter Sjjart said Thursday.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko and Yuliia Dysa, Written by Dan Peleschuk, Edited by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich)
