Zelenskyy not ruling out 'bad scenario' from Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine does not rule out that the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest could end with a "bad scenario" for Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with journalists on October 19, according to an RBC-Ukraine correspondent.
In particular, he once again emphasized that he would be ready to take part in the summit if invited.
"If it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three. Or shuttle diplomacy: President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me. Then, in one format or another, we will agree," he said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy does not rule out that the meeting in Budapest may go according to a "bad scenario." For example, that Trump and Putin might try to reach an agreement behind Ukraine's back and put forward unacceptable conditions for Kyiv.
"Even when it seems that you are in a dead end — it is not that dead. The second point is that you should never do anything bad for your own home. And that is the priority. If the configuration is one where America is in the middle, that is one story. But if the configuration is such that pressure is placed only on Ukraine, then no one will come out as a winner. We will not give victory to the Russians," Zelenskyy assured.
He also added that European leaders support his position.
"We will meet this week. Maybe someone will come to us. Maybe we will meet elsewhere with some very high-ranking officials close to Trump," the president emphasized.
How Europe reacts to the summit in Hungary
After Trump announced that the summit would be held in Hungary within the next two weeks, Budapest welcomed the decision. However, Ukraine's European allies are outraged.
According to El Pais, the EU considers it an insult that the meeting to discuss peace will take place in Hungary. There are several reasons for this, including the unwillingness to give additional advantages to Hungary's pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
On the other hand, the EU approved the fact that, for the first time, preparations will be overseen not by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff but by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is difficult to accuse of having sympathies toward Putin.
