Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but only after his allies agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine that would deter future Russian attacks once the fighting stops. In comments released to reports for publication on Thursday, August 21, he also warned both sides were preparing for further fighting, with Russia building up troops on the southern front line and Ukraine test-launching a new long-range cruise missile.
"We want to have an understanding of the security guarantees architecture within seven to 10 days," Zelensky said. "We need to understand which country will be ready to do what at each specific moment," he said. A group of allies led by Britain and France are putting together a military coalition to support the guarantees.
Once an outline of the security guarantees is agreed upon, US President Donald Trump would like to see a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader said. But he added that any meeting with the Russian leader should he held in a "neutral" European country and ruled out any summit in Moscow. "Switzerland, Austria – we agree... For us, Turkey is a NATO country and part of Europe. And we are not opposed," Zelensky said of possible venues.
He added that he did not want China playing any role in guaranteeing Ukraine's security, citing Beijing's alleged support for Moscow. "We do not need guarantors who do not help Ukraine and did not help Ukraine at the time when we really needed it," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader's comments came as Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight in the biggest barrage since mid-July, killing one person and wounding many others. Ukrainian officials said on Thursday that the barrage of 574 drones and 40 missiles showed Russia was not serious about a peace deal, despite intensive US diplomatic efforts in recent days.
Zelensky, meanwhile, announced that Ukraine had tested a long-range cruise missile known as Flamingo that can strike targets as far as 3,000 kilometres away and said mass production could begin by February. "The missile has undergone successful tests. It is currently our most successful missile," he told reporters. Zelensky added that Russian forces were building up troops along the front in the Zaporizhzhia region, which Moscow claims as its own, along with four other Ukrainian regions.