Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said that he would attend an upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, if invited.

Trump spoke with Putin last week, the day before he welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House, announcing that he and the Russian president would meet in the near future to again discuss a path to ending the war in Ukraine.

"If we really want to have just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy," Zelenskyy told US broadcaster NBC. "Yes, [Putin is] an occupier, but Ukraine is suffering and fighting." He also made clear that no solution to issues pertaining to Ukraine could be made without Ukrainian input.

Russia began the war with an invasion of neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Trump promised to end the war on his first day in office, or some nine months ago, but the fighting has only intensified despite Trump's verbal concessions to Moscow.

Zelenskyy warns against repeat Budapest Memorandum

Zelenskyy, criticized the choice of Russia-friendly Hungary for the meeting, saying, "I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution," he said of Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.

Beyond Orban's dismissive attitudes toward Ukraine and the EU, Budapest was the site of another doomed agreement from 1994.

The Budapest Memorandum signed by Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan was supposed to guarantee the freedom and security of the former Soviet states in exchange for them returning all of the Soviet nuclear weapons in their possession at the time.

"Another 'Budapest' scenario wouldn't be positive either," said Zelenskyy.

Kyiv has previously said it is ready to join a three-way meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin and Trump in a number of neutral countries, including Turkey, Switzerland and the Vatican.

Trump backpedals on arms for Ukraine, muses about Kyiv ceding territory

Trump has not commented on Zelenskyy's suggestion that he attend the summit in Budapest, but continues to look for a way to end the war.

On Friday, he refused to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles and suggested Ukraine cede territory currently occupied by Russia.

On Sunday, Trump, who has see-sawed between suggesting support for Ukraine and fawning over Putin, said of the Tomahawks while speaking on Fox News: "We have to remember one thing. We need them for ourselves too. You know, we can't give all of our weapons to Ukraine."

Talking to reporters on Air Force One on route between Florida and Washington, Trump said, "We think that what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are — the battle lines... go home, stop killing people, and be done."

When asked if he had spoken to Zelenskyy about ceding Ukraine's eastern Donbas region to Russia, Trump — contrary to reporting by the Financial Times newspaper — said: "No. We never discussed it."

EU moves toward phase-out of Russian gas imports

The European Council on Monday announced that EU energy ministers had backed a proposal to phase out all Russian gas imports into the bloc by 2028.

The plan would phase out new short-term gas contracts with Russia from June 2026 and long-term contracts by January 2028.

The measure must be voted on by EU member states before it becomes binding.

Russia now accounts for 12% of EU gas imports, down from 45% in 2022.  

Hungary, Slovakia, France and Belgium are among the countries still buying Russian gas, which in turn funds the war that the EU is trying to end in Ukraine's favor.

In an effort to pass the proposal put forth on Monday the European Commission outlined voting rules that require only a "qualified majority" (55%) for passage, meaning that no one country can stymie it.

The Commission also makes provisions for landlocked member states that get gas via pipeline and not ship.

EU mulling 19th sanctions package

Beyond its attempts to eventually stop EU money flowing into Russia's war chest by ending gas and oil imports, EU ministers also discussed a new, 19th raft of sanctions.

EU sanctions measures require unanimity for passage, these have previously been held up by Slovakia due to its dependence on gas and oil via pipeline.

Among the other points under consideration in this latest sanctions package are a proposal to ban Russian LNG imports by January 2027, and the use of billions in Russian assets frozen in the EU to provide loans to Ukraine for reconstruction more than three and a half years into the invasion.

EU foreign policy representative Kaja Kallas on Monday suggested that this latest set of European sanctions could be set in motion as early as this week.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah