Russia-Ukraine war takes major turn as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy agrees to join meeting with Putin, says ‘Putin is afraid….’

Russia-Ukraine war: US President Trump has announced that he would meet with Russian President Putin in Budapest for a second round of talks.

Washington: In a significant development in the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated he was ready to attend the upcoming summit in Budapest. In addition to his acceptance to meeting Putin, the Ukrainian President also said that he remained optimistic despite leaving the United States without the weapons he had requested. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, the Ukrainian President said US President Donald Trump needed to exert even greater pressure on Putin than he had during his recent success in securing a ceasefire with Hamas.

What has Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said on ending war?

“Putin is something similar but stronger than Hamas,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “and that’s why more pressure” is needed, noting the war’s larger scale and Russia’s position as the world’s second-largest army.

Zelenskyy had hoped that this pressure would include the delivery of long-range U.S. Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia. While Trump had raised the possibility of providing Tomahawks to Ukraine, he appeared to temper expectations following his meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy at the White House, which came a day after a phone call with Putin.

Highlighting the concerns of Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy said, “Putin is afraid that the United States will deliver us Tomahawks. And I think that he [is] really afraid that we will use them, referring to the Russian president’s warning that such a move would mark a “qualitatively new stage of escalation.”

US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin in Budapest

As per a report by news agency ANI, US President Trump has announced that he would meet with Russian President Putin in Budapest for a second round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy, who labelled Putin a “terrorist,” nevertheless reiterated his willingness for direct dialogue.

(With inputs from agencies)