President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to join the upcoming meeting between US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest. He said this in an interview NBC News .

According to the Ukrainian leader, Trump needs to put even more pressure on Putin than he did on Hamas to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

"Putin is something similar, but stronger than Hamas," Zelensky said and emphasized that the war in Ukraine is larger than in the Middle East, and the Russian army is the second largest in the world, which is why more pressure is needed.

He also commented on a possible meeting between the American and Russian presidents in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

"If we really want a just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy. How can there be any agreements without us?" - the President of Ukraine noted.

When asked by a journalist whether he would insist on a trip to Budapest, Zelensky replied that he had told Trump:"I'm ready."

In addition, the President of Ukraine said whether he was ready to give up a certain territory to end the war:

"If we want to stop this war and move urgently and diplomatically to peace talks, we need to stay where we are and not give anything extra to Putin."

He added that peace talks should take place quietly - "not under missiles, not under drones." Asked if Trump could end the war in Ukraine, Zelensky replied:"Yes, God bless."

Possible meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest: what is known

As UNIAN previously reported, Trump and Putin spoke on the phone and agreed to meet again in Budapest to, in the words of the US president,"try to put an end to this shameful war between Russia and Ukraine."

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban is happy with that that Trump is going to meet with Putin in Budapest."The planned meeting of the presidents of the US and Russia is great news for all peace-loving people of the world. We are ready!" - he reacted to this news and stated that preparations for the summit are already underway.

White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt also reported that Trump will ask Zelensky to join before their meeting with Putin in Budapest.