Zelenskiy says he wants 'strong' US reaction if Putin not ready to meet

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv would like a "strong reaction" from Washington if Russian President Vladimir Putin was not willing to sit down for a bilateral meeting with him.

AI Brief

Trump seeks to broker peace, but Russia shows little interest in negotiations, leaving Ukraine frustrated and exposed.
Zelenskiy urges the US to respond firmly if Russia refuses talks, emphasising the need for strong backing.
Despite diplomatic efforts, peace remains elusive as allies debate security guarantees and Russia advances in eastern Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to broker peace between the two warring countries but has conceded that Putin, with whom Zelenskiy has sought a one-on-one sitdown, may not be willing to make a deal.

"I responded immediately to the proposal for a bilateral meeting: we are ready. But what if the Russians are not ready?" Zelenskiy said in comments released on Thursday from a briefing with reporters in Kyiv a day earlier.

"If the Russians are not ready, we would like to see a strong reaction from the United States."

Despite a flurry of diplomacy in recent days between Trump and his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, the path to peace remained uncertain as Washington and allies worked out what security guarantees for Kyiv might look like.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and now holds just under 20% of its neighbour, making gradual advances in the east of late though the conflict has become largely attritional.

Zelenskiy said it was unclear what concessions regarding territory Moscow was willing to make to end the war. Trump has previously said Kyiv and Moscow will both need to cede land.

"To discuss what Ukraine is willing to do, let's first hear what Russia is willing to do," Zelenskiy said. "We do not know that."

Responding to a question about the Hungarian capital Budapest serving as a potential location for future Ukrainian-Russian talks, Zelenskiy said it would be "challenging".

Hungary, Russia's closest ally in the European Union, has twice offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday.