Zelensky Expresses Willingness to Join Putin and Trump at Potential Budapest Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced his readiness to participate in a possible Budapest summit alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, provided he receives an official invitation.

Both Trump and Putin recently confirmed plans to meet in the Hungarian capital, potentially within weeks, as the US president continues his push to broker a peace agreement to end the three-and-a-half-year war sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“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 stated during a press briefing on Monday.

Despite signalling openness to diplomatic engagement, Zelensky voiced reservations about Hungary being chosen as the venue for the talks. The Ukrainian leader criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose government has often been viewed as the most Kremlin-aligned within the European Union.

“I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution,”
Zelensky remarked, highlighting Budapest’s repeated obstruction of EU initiatives supporting Ukraine.

Kyiv officials have indicated their preference for a neutral location, naming Turkey, Switzerland, and the Vatican as suitable venues for potential trilateral discussions.

The mention of Budapest carries significant historical weight for Ukraine. In 1994, the city hosted the signing of the Budapest Memorandum, under which Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States pledged security assurances to Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in return for their renunciation of Soviet-era nuclear arsenals.

Zelensky, however, warned that repeating a “Budapest-style” arrangement would be unacceptable given Russia’s subsequent breach of its commitments.

“Another ‘Budapest’ scenario wouldn’t be positive either,”
the Ukrainian president said, alluding to the perceived failure of the 1994 agreement to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty.

President Donald Trump, since returning to the White House earlier this year, has made resolving the Ukraine–Russia conflict a foreign policy priority. He has promoted direct diplomacy, urging both sides to engage in face-to-face talks to accelerate a peace settlement.

Earlier this year, Trump hosted Putin for a high-profile summit in Alaska, but the discussions failed to yield tangible progress. His administration continues to advocate for rapid negotiations, hoping to end what has become one of Europe’s most protracted and devastating modern wars.

Zelensky’s conditional willingness to join a future summit underscores Ukraine’s continued openness to dialogue, though the choice of host country remains a politically sensitive issue — one that could shape the tone and credibility of any forthcoming peace efforts.

“We are ready for talks,” Zelensky affirmed,
“but they must take place in a fair, balanced, and truly neutral setting.”