Zelenskyy tells Trump he is ready to join meeting with Putin in Budapest, urges stronger pressure on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged US President Donald Trump to take a firmer stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing his willingness to attend the upcoming Budapest summit and remaining optimistic despite leaving the United States without the weapons he had requested.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Trump should exert greater pressure on Putin, comparing the Russian leader to Hamas, but on a much larger scale. "Putin is something similar but stronger than Hamas," Zelenskyy said, "and that's why more pressure is needed," highlighting Russia’s position as the world’s second-largest army.

Zelenskyy had hoped this pressure would include the delivery of long-range U.S. Tomahawk missiles, capable of striking deep into Russian territory. While Trump raised the possibility of providing Tomahawks to Ukraine, he appeared to temper expectations following his White House meeting with Zelenskyy, which occurred a day after a phone call with Putin. Zelenskyy remarked, "It was good that President Trump didn’t say 'no,' but for today, didn’t say 'yes.'"

Addressing Putin’s concerns, Zelenskyy said, "Putin is afraid that the United States will deliver us Tomahawks. And I think that he [is] really afraid that we will use them," referring to the Russian president’s warning that such a move would mark a "qualitatively new stage of escalation."

Trump has announced a second round of talks with Putin in Budapest aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy, who called Putin a "terrorist," nevertheless reiterated his willingness for direct dialogue. "If we really want to have just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy," he said. "How can there be some deals without us?" He confirmed that when asked about attending the Budapest summit, he told Trump, "I’m ready."

Previous attempts by Trump to arrange a direct meeting between the two leaders had faltered after initial optimism, with the Kremlin rejecting US efforts. Zelenskyy’s visit comes amid intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing blackouts, while Ukraine has simultaneously targeted Russian energy systems to impose economic pressure.

"We are not losing this war, and Putin is not winning," Zelenskyy asserted, noting that Russia’s escalating airstrikes reflect its "weak position" on the battlefield. "That’s why he really escalates airstrikes," he said, accusing Putin of seeking an "energy disaster this winter by attacking us."

Following the meeting, Trump stated on social media that Ukraine and Russia "should stop where they are," urging both sides to "stop the killing, and make a DEAL."

According to open-source maps, Russia currently controls nearly 44,600 square miles, or 19%, of Ukrainian territory, mainly in the east and southeast. On the prospect of negotiating or ceding territory to end the war, Zelenskyy said, "If we want to stop this war and to go to peace negotiations urgently and in a diplomatic way, we need to stay where we stay, not to give something additional to Putin."

He stressed that peace talks must occur in a calm environment, "Not under missiles, not under drones." When asked whether Trump could help end the war, Zelenskyy replied, "God bless, yes."