During the conversation with the journalists, Zelensky said that he also conveyed this message to the special envoy of the American president, Steve Vitkoff, reported the public service of Ukraine Suspilna.
“There were many worthy options – Switzerland, Austria, the Vatican, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey. Because here we are talking about peace in Ukraine, not elections in Hungary. I don’t believe that a prime minister who blocks us everywhere can bring anything positive or at least balanced,” said the Ukrainian president.
He added that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán promotes pro-Russian rhetoric, including claims about “Russia’s unconditional advantage in this war”, reports Tanjug.
“When we talk about mediation, I don’t think that the Hungarian prime minister has an adequate approach to that role. I want to remind that, when he traveled to Russia, China and the USA trying to strengthen his political influence, we clearly said that we did not give him any powers. His attempts did not yield results, which was clear from the beginning,” said Zelensky.
We remind you that Orban enthusiastically welcomed the announcement that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet in Budapest to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
On Thursday, Orban said on the X social network that the planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is “great news for the peace-loving people of the world” and added: “We are ready!”.
Speaking about the Budapest memorandum from 1994, by which the great powers guaranteed the territorial integrity of Ukraine in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons, Zelensky reminded that that document was not effective and added that he also reminded Trump of this.
However, according to Zelensky, Trump sees the “Hungarian format” as a possible next step that, he believes, could bring results, including an end to the war.
“We share optimism with President Trump, if it leads to the end of the war. After more than two hours of talking with him and his team, my impression is that his position is that the front line remains where it is, which can be a positive signal, if all parties understand it,” said Zelenski.
Zelensky also emphasized that during his visit to Washington, he discussed the possibility of signing a contract for the purchase of 25 American “Patriot” air defense systems, which Ukraine would receive in stages over the coming years.
As he stated, that number of systems was requested by the Air Force of Ukraine, but deliveries will not be immediate due to high demand and existing orders from other countries.
He added that in key NATO member countries there are “patriot” systems that formally belong to the USA and that Ukraine can get these systems if there is political support from Washington.
It is planned that the funds for the purchase of 25 systems will be provided partly from the use of frozen Russian assets, and the financial basis for this plan is, as he said, already prepared.
We remind you, commenting on the announced meeting of the American and Russian leaders in Budapest to resolve the “Ukrainian issue”, Zelensky asked “How can there be any agreements without us about us”.
“If we really want a just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with NBC News.
(Vijesti.ba)
