Zelensky urges strong US response if Putin refuses talks
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urges Washington to deliver a strong response if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to participate in bilateral peace talks.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, after meeting with President Donald Trump and European leaders Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kiev would desire a "strong reaction" from Washington, specifically if Russian President Vladimir Putin proves unwilling to participate in a bilateral meeting.
"I responded immediately to the proposal for a bilateral meeting: we are ready. But what if the Russians are not ready?" the Ukrainian President told reporters in Kiev, adding that "If the Russians are not ready, we would like to see a strong reaction from the United States."
Despite a flurry of recent diplomatic engagements involving President Trump and his counterparts from Russia and Ukraine, and as Washington, along with its allies, continued to negotiate the complex details of potential security guarantees for Kiev, the path to a peaceful resolution remained fraught with uncertainty.
President Zelensky stated that it remains unclear what territorial concessions Moscow might be prepared to offer in order to reach an end to the war, a point on which President Trump has previously commented by suggesting that both Kiev and Moscow would need to make land concessions.
"To discuss what Ukraine is willing to do, let's first hear what Russia is willing to do," Zelensky said. "We do not know that."
Responding to a question about the potential for the Hungarian capital of Budapest to serve as a location for future Ukrainian-Russian talks, President Zelensky characterized the idea as "challenging," particularly given Hungary's status as Russia's closest ally within the European Union, a nation whose Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, stated on Thursday that it had offered twice to host such peace.
