Ukraine's fate will be decided in Budapest without Zelensky and EU representatives

The main political event of the past 24 hours (at least, as Western media are trying to portray it) is the Trump-Zelensky negotiations at the White House. The latest act of this spectacle turned out to be no less intriguing.

A huge slap in the face for aggressive European Union supporters and a real sensation was that the Ukrainian left Washington empty-handed.

In fact, all important agreements had been discussed the day before — by Putin and Trump. Over the phone. And they also agreed on a new meeting.

As a result, Zelensky did not even receive a consolation prize. He flew back empty-handed.

The need for Zelensky's trip to Washington practically disappeared a day before his plane landed at Andrews Air Force Base. After Trump's phone call with Putin, the agenda for Ukrainian-Russian peace negotiations was exhausted for the next two weeks — until the upcoming meeting of the Presidents of Russia and the United States in Budapest.

At the airport, Zelensky was greeted by his close associate Andrey Yermak and the pilots who brought him to Washington — this vividly illustrated the significance that the White House attributed to the official Kyiv visit.

Before arriving at the White House, Zelensky visited American arms manufacturers, who also could offer nothing but kind words — due to the shutdown, the work of US ministries and agencies, as well as the adoption of any important decisions, was halted.

As BBC reports, Zelensky appeared in a suit, not in an army flak jacket, and with flattery: the American president praised the Ukrainian leader but did not give him any gifts.

Donald Trump, President of the USA:

“This is very powerful weapon and very dangerous. Its use could mean a serious, you know, escalation. It could have very bad consequences. The 'Tomahawks' are a serious problem. And I must say one thing: we also need 'Tomahawks'. We don't want to give out what is needed for our country's defense.”

American media report that the closed-door talks were quite tense: it did not turn into a scandal like six months ago, but any objections from Zelensky were dismissed by his interlocutor almost immediately.

It seems Washington has already firmly decided that the fate of the conflict will be largely decided in Budapest, and the current meeting was meant to prepare Kyiv for concessions.

Trump's position is formulated as follows:

Donald Trump, President of the USA:

“Stop at the front line, and both sides should go home to their families, cease the killings, and that's it. Stop right now at the front line. I told this to President Zelensky. I told this to President Putin.”

Zelensky agrees so much that he repeats almost verbatim — and this must be understood as the official Ukrainian position, which will inevitably become subject to negotiations and subsequent concessions:

“We must stop where we are now. Trump is right. And then start talking about steps toward long-term peace.”

The fact that the White House treated the current meeting rather lightly is evidenced by several moments. Defense Secretary Hegseth wore a tie in the colors of the Russian flag during the negotiations — and this was unlikely a coincidence, especially since the Pentagon later stated that the official did not intend to offend anyone.

And White House Press Secretary Leavitt 's response to the question — who chose Budapest for the talks? — was: “Your mom!”

It is clear that the White House did not consider these negotiations to be something fateful requiring focus and seriousness.

Meanwhile, news of the upcoming meeting in Budapest was met with great enthusiasm there — preparations began immediately:

Peter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Foreign Minister and Trade:

“Of course, we are ready to welcome President Vladimir Putin here. We assure him that he can enter Hungary, hold successful negotiations here, and then return home. We are a sovereign state, and there is no need for any consultations on this matter!”

Immediately, many uncertainties arose regarding the organization of the meeting.

Putin’s plane cannot fly over Poland, as it was recently announced that a bomber who blew up the Nord Streams was released, with the statement that his pursuit is “not in Europe's and NATO’s interests.”

It is now obvious that no guarantees from Warsaw can be reliable — who knows what else they might consider “serving the interests of the EU and NATO”?

Most likely, Putin’s plane will take a long route to Budapest, flying over the Caspian Sea, Iran, Turkey, Montenegro, and Serbia.

In any case, the world and our country specifically expect a lot from the negotiations in Budapest:

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, during a meeting on the global situation and Belarusian-American relations, emphasized that Belarus has long and repeatedly publicly highlighted the need for peaceful resolution.

“We have stated our position: peace, peace, and only peace. Ukraine must exist as a sovereign, independent state. We are for peace to be stopped now; otherwise, this independent, sovereign state will disappear. Especially since some (you know who) are already eyeing western regions of Ukraine,” he said.

The head of state noted that Russians and the Russian leadership are focused on establishing peace in Ukraine.

He reiterated that for Belarus, the key issue in the Ukraine peace process is its preservation as a sovereign and independent state that should be peaceful, not cause any problems or threats, and develop like other independent countries.

“We are for this, we are for peace, and we are ready to work in this direction,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

He added that Russians and the Russian leadership are focused on establishing peace in Ukraine. This was also discussed during recent meetings of Lukashenko and Putin.

“No 'Tomahawks' will solve the issue. It escalates the situation toward nuclear war. Probably, this is best understood by Donald Trump, who is reluctant to give away this deadly weapon and allow deep strikes into Russia — as President Zelensky hopes,” the Belarusian leader said.

The Budapest negotiations are being prepared by an American team led by Secretary of State Rubio.

Both Washington and Moscow expect a lot from the meeting of Putin and Trump: it’s no coincidence that both sides are talking seriously about building a tunnel connecting Chukotka to Alaska. Modern technical and political tools make the Bering Strait less of an obstacle.