Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday called on the United States, Europe, and other global partners to take stronger, more decisive action against Russia, warning that Moscow only responds to force.
“Putin cannot be stopped by talk – only by pressure,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram. “The world sees that Russia responds to strength. Therefore, peace through strength can work.”
Zelensky said Ukraine has sought peace repeatedly, agreeing to an unconditional ceasefire and proposing ways to stop attacks in the air, on land, and at sea. “Ukraine has never wanted war. The war continues only because Moscow does not want it to end,” he added.
The warning comes as US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he expects to meet Putin in Budapest within two weeks in a new effort to reach a peace deal over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said “many questions still need to be resolved” before the meeting takes place.
Orbán, one of Putin’s closest allies in the European Union and a critic of Western military aid to Kyiv, said preparations are “in full swing.”
He has described Budapest as “essentially the only place in Europe where such a meeting can be held” because of Hungary’s “consistent stance for peace.”
The summit would allow Putin to avoid arrest on ICC war crimes charges. Hungary has said it is withdrawing from the court but will remain a member until mid-2026.
The announcement came just one day before Trump met Zelensky at the White House on Friday, Oct. 17. Zelensky and his delegation had traveled to Washington hoping to convince the US President to increase arms deliveries to Ukraine.
The visit, however, ended with little concrete support, as Trump, following a call with Putin, appeared to step back from pressuring Moscow.
Still, Zelensky framed the encounter diplomatically, noting that Trump understands Ukraine’s position on ceasefires and recognizes that territory will be a “sensitive” issue.
“I think the President [Trump] understands that the most difficult question in any kind of negotiations, in any format, will be the issue of territory,” Zelensky said. He added that Russia wants to “occupy everything,” and “now they want before any kind of ceasefire to make a deal about land, about our territories.”
Earlier this year, Trump had pressed Putin for a ceasefire prior to negotiations, and Ukraine agreed. Putin, however, insisted on first addressing what he called the “root causes” of the conflict, tracing back to Catherine II’s conquest of Crimea and southern Ukraine in the 18th century, even as far as 10th-century Kyivan Rus’.
Meanwhile, Zelensky said Russian forces continue to target Ukraine’s critical and civilian infrastructure almost daily. Over the past week alone, he said, Russia launched more than 3,270 attack drones, 1,370 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 50 missiles of different types.
Kyiv and its partners are working to strengthen air defenses through the PURL program, new investments in Ukraine’s defense industry, and bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
