Zelenskyy Says He's 'Ready' To Meet Trump, Putin In Budapest For Peace Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he's "ready" to sit down for peace talks in Budapest as he expressed doubts about Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to end the more than three-year-long war in Ukraine.

"I’m not sure that Putin is ready just [yet] to finish this war," Zelenskyy said during a pre-taped interview with NBC that aired on October 19. "I think that maybe he wants to come back with aggression.”

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The Ukrainian president said that he believes Putin prefers to postpone "real peace negotiations" and is reluctant to meet with him because that would require agreeing to specific positions and potential concessions to end the war.

Zelenskyy then called for added pressure on the Russian leader, saying that Putin is "afraid of sanctions" and secondary sancitons that would squeeze the Russian economy.

The comments come after US President Donald Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to Washington on October 17 to discuss future peace negotiations.

Zelenskyy arrived for his the third meeting at the White House this year prepared to discuss a potential arms deal in which Ukraine would supply the US military with drone technologies in return for long-range Tomahawk missiles, but Trump appeared to have cooled to the idea of providing Ukraine with the weapons.

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Instead, the US president urged Russia and Ukraine to immediately cease fighting, saying enough blood had been shed, and announced that he plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest in the coming weeks. No date has been set for the summit.

During his interview with NBC, Zelenskyy reiterated his openess to engage in bilateral or trilateral peace talks with the United States and Russia at the table.

He also said that fighting on the battlefield should stop along the current contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces and a cease-fire should be in place to begin peace talks.

"If we want to stop this war and go to peace negotiations," Zelenskyy said, "we need to stay where we stay and not give something additional to Putin because he wants it."

What Comes Next As Negotiators Eye A Summit In Budapest?

The Washington Post reported on October 18 that Putin demanded that Kyiv surrender full control of the Donetsk region, a strategically vital area of eastern Ukraine that is partially occupied by Moscow, as a condition for ending the war during an October 16 phone call with Trump.

Trump has not publicly commented on Putin’s demand and appeared not to endorse it in his public statement after meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House.

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"They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!” Trump wrote on social media on October 17.

Territorial concessions are expected to be part of any eventual peace deal for Ukraine, but it’s uncertain what Putin might agree to -- or what Kyiv could legally offer. Ukraine’s constitution mandates a nationwide referendum to approve any change to the country’s territory, a vote that cannot be held under the martial law imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

A key reason for Zelenskyy's trip to Washington was the possibility of Ukraine receiving Tomahawk missiles, which are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2,500 kilometers.

Trump appeared to have considered sending Tomahawks to Kyiv for weeks as he grew increasingly frustrated over Putin's refusal to negotiate an end to the war, but then appeared to rule out the possibility -- at least for now -- after his call with the Russian president.

Zelenskyy claimed that issue of Tomahawk missiles is "very sensitive for the Russians" and that Putin is "afraid that the United States will deliver [them] to Ukraine" because it would allow Kyiv to strike strategic military sites and infrastructure that could derail Russia's war effort.

“It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no,' but for today, he didn’t say ‘yes.’" Zelenskyy said.

Ahead of the potential summit in Budapest, US and Russian officials will reportedly be planning more lower-level meetings in advance than had taken place in preparation for the Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin in August.

What Is the Latest From Ukraine?

Ukrainian drones attacked a gas plant on October 19 in Russia's Orenburg, the largest facility of its kind in the world, and forced it to suspend its intake of gas from nearby Kazakhstan, according to the Central Asian country's energy ministry.

This marks the first reported strike on the plant, which forms part of the Orenburg gas chemical complex that is operated by the state energy giant Gazprom and handles intake from both the Orenburg oil and gas field and Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field.

An oil refinery in the Samara-region city of Novokuibyshevsk, nearly 1,000 kilometers from the front line, was also hit by Ukrainian drone strikes, according to Ukraine's General Staff.

"There has been an increase both in the range and in the accuracy of our long-range sanctions against Russia," Zelenskyy said in a video address, referring to the recent strikes. "Practically every day or two, Russian oil refineries are being hit. And this contributes to bringing Russia back to reality."

In recent months, Kyiv has intensified its attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, which appear to be causing fuel shortages and price increases inside Russia.

The oil depot in Novokuibyshevsk was also hit last month, with Ukraine's General Staff reporting substantial damage to its infrastructure at the time.

Meawnhile, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhya were among the cities hit by guided bombs dropped by Russian jets late on October 18, according to Ukraine's air defense forces.

Russian drones were also reported over the Chernihiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Ten people were injured in Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities on the morning of October 19, while an energy facility was hit in Chernihiv region, causing a power outage for around 17,000 residents in the north of the country.

Russia’s relentless nighttime strikes often focus on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, aiming to cut off heating and electricity for civilians as winter approaches in a bid to undermine morale.