Kyiv [Ukraine], August 18 : Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged stronger sanctions against Russia if no trilateral meeting is held between him, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The statement followed a call between Zelensky and Trump on Saturday, one day after the US leader met with Putin in Alaska without Ukraine's participation.
Recounting his conversation with Trump in a post on X, Zelensky wrote that "sanctions are an effective tool." He added they "should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting" or if Russia tries to evade what he called "an honest end to the war."
Meanwhile, Trump described his talks with Putin, which focused on ending the Ukraine conflict, as "warm" and said the two leaders had "agreed on a lot". He added that the sides were "pretty close to the end" of the conflict, but that "Ukraine has to agree" to any peace deal.
The US President also confirmed his willingness to attend a possible three-way summit, stating, "They both want me there, and I'll be there."
The Kremlin has not confirmed the format, though Putin said a trilateral meeting is possible but stressed that certain "conditions for meeting must be created," RT reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who on Monday arrived in the US capital ahead of his high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump, shared a "strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably", stressing that peace with Russia must be "lasting".
"I have already arrived in Washington, tomorrow I am meeting with President Trump. Tomorrow we are also speaking with European leaders. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East--part of Donbas--and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack," Zelenskyy posted on X.
The Trump-Zelenskyy talks follow Trump's three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which he rated a "10 on 10," Fox News reported.
Trump later wrote on Truth Social, "A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up."