President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to join a meeting between US President Donald Trump and russian dictator vladimir putin in Budapest, Hungary, if invited. He called the possible format of such a meeting "shuttle diplomacy."
He told this to journalists, The Guardian reported on October 20.
"If I am invited to Budapest - if it is an invitation in the format when the three of us meet, or as it is called 'shuttle diplomacy', President Trump will meet with Putin, and President Trump will meet with me - then in one format or another we will agree," Zelenskyy said
At the same time, the President criticized the choice of Hungary as a meeting place, as the country has tense relations with Ukraine and is considered the most sympathetic to the kremlin member state of the European Union.
"I don't believe that the Prime Minister (Viktor Orban - ed.), who blocks Ukraine everywhere, can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even make a balanced contribution," Zelenskyy said.
Note Shuttle diplomacy is the involvement of a third-party intermediary as a link between the parties to a conflict without their direct contact.
On October 16, US President Trump said he had a phone conversation with putin. He and the russian dictator agreed to meet in Budapest. The kremlin also confirmed the meeting between Trump and putin, saying that it may take place within two weeks.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, due to European sanctions, putin will have to fly about 5,000 kilometers to Budapest.
During his meeting with Zelenskyy in Washington, Trump said that the Ukrainian President will be in touch with him during talks with russian dictator vladimir putin, as the two leaders do not like each other.
Meanwhile, according to Axios, US President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a tense meeting on Friday, that he does not intend to provide Tomahawk long-range missiles, at least for now, as he prioritizes diplomacy.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.