Trump and Putin Plan Budapest Summit Amid Ukraine Conflict

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, following a recent phone call between the two leaders. Trump announced the upcoming summit, stating, "We agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week... President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary."

The Kremlin confirmed the planned meeting, attributing the choice of location to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's strong relationships with both leaders. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cited Orbán's "warm relations" with Trump and his "constructive relations" with Putin as key factors in facilitating the arrangement of the summit.

Hungary has pledged to facilitate Putin's entry and exit for the summit, despite an outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Russian president. Hungary, which is in the process of leaving the ICC, emphasized its sovereignty and pledged to host Putin respectfully.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, criticized the potential visit, labeling it as "not nice" due to Putin's ICC arrest warrant. Kallas emphasized the necessity of involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in negotiations.

In preparation for the summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a "constructive" conversation aimed at implementing agreements reached during the recent phone call between Trump and Putin. Specific details of the conversation were not disclosed.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced plans to visit Washington to discuss the upcoming summit, though specific details of his agenda were not disclosed.

The planned meeting in Budapest marks the second summit between Trump and Putin this year, following their August talks in Alaska, which ended without tangible progress toward peace. The upcoming discussions aim to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and explore potential resolutions.