First Security Guarantees, Then a Putin Summit, Says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared he is prepared to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but only once Ukraine’s allies agree on a framework of security guarantees designed to deter any future Russian aggression after the current fighting ends.

In remarks released on Thursday, Zelensky also cautioned that both sides were preparing for renewed hostilities, with Russia reinforcing its positions on the southern front line, while Ukraine has successfully test-launched a new long-range cruise missile.

Zelensky stressed that an agreement on the structure of international security commitments must precede any direct negotiations with Moscow.

“We want to have an understanding of the security guarantees architecture within seven to ten days,” he said. “We need to understand which country will be ready to do what at each specific moment.”

A coalition of allies, led by Britain and France, is currently drafting a security framework to underpin Ukraine’s defence. Once this is settled, former US President Donald Trump — who has made ending the war a priority since returning to the White House earlier this year — hopes to arrange a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

Zelensky was firm that any summit should be held in a neutral European country, explicitly rejecting Moscow as a venue.

He also ruled out China as a guarantor of Ukrainian security, citing Beijing’s perceived alignment with Moscow:“We do not need guarantors who did not help Ukraine at the time when we really needed it.”

The Ukrainian leader’s remarks came after Russia unleashed its largest aerial barrage since mid-July, involving 574 drones and 40 missiles. Ukrainian officials reported at least one fatality and multiple injuries, saying the scale of the attack proved that Moscow was not serious about peace despite heightened US diplomatic engagement.

Meanwhile, Zelensky reported that Russian forces were reinforcing troops in Zaporizhzhia region, one of the five territories Moscow has illegally claimed as its own.

Amidst these developments, Zelensky revealed that Ukraine had successfully tested a new cruise missile, code-named “Flamingo”, capable of striking targets up to 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) away.

“The missile has undergone successful tests. It is currently our most successful missile,” Zelensky stated.

Since assuming office earlier this year, Trump has accelerated diplomatic efforts to broker an end to Russia’s three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine.

• Trump–Putin meeting: Held recently in Alaska.
• Trump–Zelensky & EU leaders: Convened in Washington for separate discussions.

Zelensky insists that any eventual end to the war will require a direct meeting with Putin, with Trump present as a mediator.

However, the Kremlin has sought to downplay the prospect of such a summit in the near future, instead insisting that Russia must be included in discussions on Ukraine’s future security guarantees.