Star Metro - Zelensky proposes three-way meeting with Trump, Putin

Russian President Putin rejected calls to meet Zelensky in Turkey earlier this month and the Kremlin has said a meeting between the two leaders would only happen after some kind of "agreement" is reached.

The US president has expressed frustration at both Putin and Zelensky for not yet striking a deal to end the war.

The two sides have traded waves of massive aerial attacks in recent weeks, with Ukraine firing almost 300 drones at Russia overnight, the defence ministry in Moscow said.

"If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format," Zelensky said in comments to journalists on Tuesday that were published on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian leader said he was "ready" for a "Trump-Putin-me" meeting, and also urged Washington to hit Moscow with a package of hard-hitting sanctions on its banking and energy sectors.

"We are waiting for sanctions from the United States of America," Zelensky said.

"Trump confirmed that if Russia does not stop, sanctions will be imposed. We discussed two main aspects with him -- energy and the banking system. Will the US be able to impose sanctions on these two sectors? I would very much like that."

The Ukrainian leader had previously appeared to express frustration at Washington for not having announced fresh sanctions on Moscow after Russia rejected a coordinated Western appeal for an immediate ceasefire.

Trump over the weekend called Putin "crazy" after a massive Russian barrage killed at least 13 people across Ukraine.

And on Tuesday, he went on blasting at the Russian leader.

"What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

- Russia 'amassing' troops -

Despite months of US-led diplomacy, the two sides appear no closer to striking a deal to end the three-year-long war, triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion.

Tens of thousands have been killed, much of east and southern Ukraine has been destroyed, and Moscow's army now controls around a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Hours after Zelensky spoke, Ukraine unleashed one of its largest ever drone barrages on Russia, where officials reported only minimal damage from the attacks.

Moscow's three major international airports were forced to suspend flights for hours overnight amid the barrage, aviation authorities said.

Ukraine said that Russia launched more than 900 drones in the three days up to Monday. Thirteen civilians were killed in attacks on Sunday, including three children.

On the battlefield, Zelensky said Russia was "amassing" more than 50,000 troops on the front line around the northeastern Sumy border region, where Moscow's army has captured a number of settlements as it seeks to establish what Putin has called a "buffer zone" inside Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky also said that Ukraine is yet to receive a promised "memorandum" from Russia on its demands for a peace deal.

Ukraine has accused Russia of dragging out the peace process following the first direct talks in more than three years between negotiators from the two sides earlier this month in Istanbul.

Zelensky is due to visit Germany on Wednesday for talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged muscular backing for Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that details on a second round of negotiations would be announced soon.

M.Johnson--SMC