Zelenskyj has nothing against a meeting with Putin, he says according to the news agency AFP. But first, he wants to get clarity regarding the security guarantees promised by the USA and Europe.
A top meeting with the Russian leader could be held in either Switzerland, Austria, or Turkey, suggests the president.
We want to get an understanding of the security guarantees within seven to ten days. Based on that, we are aiming for a trilateral meeting (with the US President Donald Trump), he says.
Russian refusal
Zelenskyj emphasizes that he opposes Chinese involvement in the security guarantees.
First and foremost, China did not help us stop the war from the beginning. Moreover, they helped Russia build up their drone market.
It is still unclear how the USA and Europe will be able to guarantee Ukraine's security after a potential end to the war. On Wednesday, the US Vice President JD Vance stated that the USA expects Europe to take care of the "lion's share" of the guarantees.
But when a journalist on Thursday asks Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about security guarantees for Ukraine, Lavrov responds that any kind of presence from European forces would be "completely unacceptable"
Ukraine in the EU?
On Thursday, Zelenskyj simultaneously states that he has asked Trump to pressure Hungary on the issue of a future Ukrainian EU membership.
President Trump promised that his team will work on the matter, says Zelenskyj to AFP.
Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stand firmly by the fact that Ukraine should not be allowed to become a member of the EU. The hope is that Trump's friendship with Orbán will get the Hungarian to change his mind.
