Volodymyr Zelenskyy (PTI)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that his country will never recognise Russia’s claim over occupied territories. He said Kyiv wanted a clear understanding of those guarantees within “seven to ten days” before bilateral or trilateral meetings with world leaders could take place. “Ukraine will not legally recognise Russia’s occupation of its territories,” Zelenskyy said, adding that any potential talks with Moscow could only follow firm international security guarantees.“We want to have an understanding of the security guarantees architecture within seven to 10 days. And based on that understanding, we aim to hold a trilateral meeting. That was my logic,” the Ukranian President said.“If Russia is not ready for a bilateral leaders meeting, then Ukraine and Europe want to see a strong US reaction,” Zelenskyy added.Zelenskyy ruled out including China in security arrangements, arguing Beijing “did not help after the Russian invasion”. He also said Budapest remained an unlikely venue for future peace talks, describing the idea as “challenging”.“President Trump suggested a slightly different logic: a trilateral meeting through a bilateral one,” Zelenskyy said. “But then we all agreed that, in any case, we continue working on the security guarantees, establishing this approximate framework, similar to Article 5. And what we have today is political support for this,” he said. His comments followed President Donald Trump’s high-profile diplomacy, which included a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska and subsequent talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders in Washington. Trump has suggested that European nations are “willing to put people on the ground” to secure a deal, while ruling out deploying US troops but keeping the option of air support.The Kremlin has not confirmed Trump’s claim that Putin is ready to meet Zelenskyy, with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov cautioning that such a summit would need meticulous preparation. Meanwhile, Russia continued its assault on Ukraine, capturing villages in Donetsk and unleashing one of the largest aerial barrages since July. Ukrainian officials said more than 570 drones and 40 missiles were fired overnight, with air defences intercepting the vast majority but still leaving civilian casualties and widespread damage.“Russia continues to demonstrate that it is not interested in peace,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. Zelenskyy added that the attacks only underscored the “need to put pressure on Moscow”, urging stronger sanctions and international support to push back against Russia’s campaign.