Zelensky says he is willing to accept bilateral or trilateral talks; Trump says the Russia-Ukraine conflict should end

According to Jinse Finance, citing CCTV News, on October 17 local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky delivered a speech after meeting with U.S. President Trump. Zelensky expressed gratitude to Trump for holding productive talks. Zelensky stated that air defense systems are very important to Ukraine and that more cooperation with the United States has been decided. Zelensky also mentioned that both sides agreed not to publicly discuss the issue of long-range missiles. In addition, the two sides discussed Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, and Trump shared his phone conversation with Putin. Zelensky further stated that he believes the United States and Trump want to end this conflict. When asked if he was more optimistic about obtaining "Tomahawk" cruise missiles, Zelensky said, "I am realistic." Zelensky also stated that he is willing to accept bilateral or trilateral talks and is open to any format that can bring them closer to peace. Finally, Zelensky told the media that the focus of the U.S.-Ukraine security discussions is that Ukraine needs security guarantees from the United States, as currently only the United States is in dialogue with Russia. Zelensky said, "This is very important, Ukraine needs strong security guarantees."