Zelenskyy Ready for Peace Talks With Putin in Neutral Country, Rules Out Russia and Hungary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin for peace talks in Austria, Switzerland, or Türkiye — but ruled out Hungary and Russia as venues, Orda.kz reports, citing DW.

Zelenskyy stressed that the meeting must be held in a neutral European country. He accepted Switzerland and Austria as suitable options and called Türkiye both a NATO member and part of Europe. Moscow was categorically excluded, while Budapest was rejected due to Hungary’s stance during the war and its opposition to Ukraine’s EU bid.

The Ukrainian president added that the next move must come from Russia. Kyiv expects clarity on security guarantees within 7–10 days and prefers a trilateral format with the US, though Donald Trump suggested starting with bilateral talks.

Zelenskyy also revealed details of discussions with Trump, who called Ukraine’s withdrawal from Crimea in 2014 a “big mistake.” Zelenskyy argued that pulling out of Donbas would expose Kharkiv and central Ukraine to Russian forces.

He estimated Russia would need four more years to fully capture the Donbas.

On territorial concessions, Zelenskyy said Ukraine will never legally recognize occupation, and talks about compromises can only begin once Russia’s demands are clear.

He reiterated his readiness for direct talks but warned that if Moscow refuses, Kyiv expects a strong US response.

Meanwhile, Sergei Lavrov insisted that any security discussions over Ukraine must include Russia — calling negotiations without Moscow a ‘road to nowhere.'

Russia has also firmly rejected the idea of NATO troop deployments to Ukraine.