Putin, Zelenskyy to meet for first time since war started? Ukraine president says, ‘We need..’

Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called on US President Donald Trump to take a tougher stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was ready to attend the upcoming Budapest summit and remained optimistic even though it left the US without the weapons he demanded.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Zelenskyy said Trump should put more pressure on Putin than his recent success in brokering a ceasefire with Hamas. “Putin is similar to Hamas, but stronger than it,” said Zelenskyy, “and therefore more pressure is needed,” and pointed out the larger size of the war and that Russia is the second largest army in the world.

Zelenskyy hoped that this push would include the delivery of long-range US Tomahawk missiles that could strike deep into Russia. Although Trump had raised the possibility of supplying a Tomahawk to Ukraine, he appeared to soften expectations after a meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House a day after his phone call with Putin. “It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no’, but he didn’t say ‘yes’ for today,” Zelenskyy said.

Drawing attention to Putin’s concerns, Zelenskyy said, “Putin is afraid that the USA will deliver Tomahawks to us. I think so too.” [is] We are really afraid that we will use them, he said, citing the Russian president’s warning that such a move would signal a “qualitatively new phase of escalation.” Trump announced that he will meet Putin in Budapest for the second round of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy, who called Putin a “terrorist”, nevertheless reiterated his willingness for direct dialogue. “If we truly want a just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy,” he said. “How can agreements be made about us without us?”

Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump said “I’m ready” when asked about attending the Budapest summit. Trump’s previous efforts to arrange a meeting between the two leaders were thwarted after initial optimism when the Kremlin rejected the US’s efforts. Zelenskyy’s visit comes at a time when Russia’s intense attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have led to power outages across the country; Ukraine is targeting Russian energy systems to exert economic pressure. “We are not losing this war and Putin is not winning either,” said Zelenskyy, explaining that Russia’s increasing air strikes reflected its “weak position” on the battlefield. “That’s why he’s stepping up air strikes,” he added, accusing Putin of “trying to create an energy disaster by attacking us this winter.”

Following the meeting, Trump stated on social media that Ukraine and Russia “should stand where they are” and called on both sides to “stop the killing and make a DEAL.” Russia currently controls about 44,600 square miles, or 19%, of Ukraine’s territory, primarily in the east and southeast, according to open source maps. Regarding the possibility of negotiations or giving land to end the war, Zelenskyy said, “If we want to stop this war and go to peace talks urgently and diplomatically, we need to stay where we left off, not give anything additional to Putin.” He emphasized that peace talks must occur in a calm environment, “Not under missiles, not under drones.”

(Except for the title, this news has not been edited by the DNA team and is published from ANI news agency).