The talks between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine may take place in Switzerland, Austria or Turkey. Organizing a meeting in Budapest is a difficult task. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reports Reuters.
Kyiv expects a bilateral meeting of the presidents, he said. Zelensky, speaking to journalists, said that he would like a tough response from the United States if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to hold bilateral talks with him.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reiterated that Budapest is ready to host peace talks between Moscow and Kiev, and this offer still stands. If necessary, we are ready to provide fair and safe conditions for such peace talks. We are happy if we can contribute to the success of peace efforts, he said.
As the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, stated in an interview with Corriere della Sera, Budapest is mentioned among the possible locations in memory of the 1994 agreement, but this location is not preferred. We are talking about the Budapest Memorandum on security guarantees in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The Ukrainian side believes that its security guarantees under this treaty have been violated.
The meeting of the leaders may take place in the near future. US President Donald Trump, who had previously held talks with Putin and Zelensky, insisted on it. The Russian leader agreed to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.