‘Ready To Meet’: Zelenskyy Signals Willingness To Meet Putin In Trilateral Talks After Meeting NATO Chief

In a significant development in the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed willingness to meet with Russians to discuss the ongoing conflict.

"We are ready to meet with Russians" in preferably "a trilateral format," Zelenskyy said, according to a Reuters report.

The Ukrainian President made these statements after his meeting with the NATO chief, who left him with "assurances of support," Reuters reported.

During the meeting in Kyiv, Zelenskyy discussed security guarantees with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Rutte also pledged NATO's involvement in securing Ukraine’s future, according to reports.

Zelenskyy acknowledged U.S. President Donald Trump's role in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, stating that Trump is the "only man who can stop Putin."

In a post on X, Zelenskyy elaborated on the topics discussed with Rutte and also shared a video of the meeting.

"Today, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is in Ukraine. During our meeting, we discussed, first and foremost, what next joint steps of ours can provide Ukraine and all of Europe with greater security and bring the real end of the war closer," he said.

"Most importantly, this includes our diplomacy, security guarantees, and weapons for our warriors. In particular, the PURL program is already operating, enabling the purchase of American weapons with partner funding. We already have $1.5 billion from European countries. This is significant. I am grateful to every partner. We are working to raise more," his X post added.

He concluded his post by expressing gratitude to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for his support.

"We greatly appreciate the support of @SecGenNATO. Thank you for your readiness to help," he said.

This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) hinted at allowing Ukraine to "fight back" against Russia, marking a departure from his earlier peace stance. He stated, "It is very impossible, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invading country."

Promising "interesting times ahead," Trump criticized Joe Biden for not allowing Ukraine to "fight back" against Russia, calling the former U.S. President "grossly incompetent" and reiterating that the war would never have happened if he (Trump) were president.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader's country. It's like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia. Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out? Regardless, this is a war that would have NEVER happened if I were President - ZERO CHANCE. Interesting times ahead!!!"

This follows Russia’s largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine in more than a month, just days after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska. Nine civilians were killed in the strikes, as well as in shelling in eastern Ukraine, CNN reported, citing Ukrainian officials.

The meeting in Alaska failed to establish solid ground for a ceasefire, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remained insistent on securing security guarantees before agreeing to a ceasefire. However, Trump has suggested a trilateral meeting involving himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy in the near future.

Trump also promised that the U.S. would be involved in providing security guarantees for Ukraine. The U.S. leader said that there would be some form of security guarantees for Ukraine but did not specify whether this would involve U.S. troops.

However, U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees.

"The president has definitively stated U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies. The president understands that security guarantees are crucial to ensuring a lasting peace. He has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well," she said.

When asked if the U.S. would provide "air" as a security option, Leavitt said it was a possibility.

"It is an option and a possibility. I certainly won't rule out any military options that the president has at his disposal. I'll let him do that. I can tell you he's ruled out boots on the ground," she said.

When pressed for further details on the security guarantees for Ukraine, she added, "President Trump has directed his team to come up with a framework for these security guarantees that can be acceptable to help ensure a lasting peace and end this war."

(With inputs from agencies)

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