Trump and Putin to Meet in Budapest for New Push to End War in Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The announcement followed a telephone conversation between the two leaders, during which they also agreed to hold a high-level meeting between American and Russian officials next week.

Trump said the initial talks will be led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside other designated officials, though it remains unclear who will represent Russia. “President Putin and I will then meet in Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ war between Russia and Ukraine to an end,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

According to the president, the two leaders discussed several topics during their conversation, including U.S. First Lady Melania Trump’s efforts to assist in returning Ukrainian children home, as well as future trade relations between Washington and Moscow once the war concludes. Trump also expressed optimism that the dialogue “in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the war with Russia and Ukraine.”

Trump added that the call concluded with an agreement to begin preparatory meetings next week, with the aim of organizing the leaders’ encounter in Budapest. He emphasized that he hopes the talks will “bring this tragic war to an end.”

The phone call took place a day before Trump’s scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on October 17, where the two are expected to discuss the potential delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine and assess the ongoing military situation. “President Zelensky and I will be meeting tomorrow in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin and much more,” Trump said, adding that he believes “great progress was made” in the discussion with the Kremlin leader.

This marks the first direct conversation between Trump and Putin in nearly two months. Their previous contact occurred on August 18, shortly after several European leaders visited the White House following the Alaska Summit. The two presidents also met in Alaska on August 15 to discuss prospects for a peace settlement and bilateral cooperation, their first meeting since Trump’s return to office, but tangible progress toward peace has since been limited.

Bloomberg previously reported that the Alaska meeting may have encouraged Putin to intensify airstrikes on Ukraine, as he apparently believed there would be limited resistance from Washington. Since then, Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure have escalated, while diplomatic engagement between the U.S. and Russia has stalled.

Putin’s planned visit to Budapest has drawn attention because Hungary’s parliament voted earlier this year to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, allowing him to travel there despite an active ICC arrest warrant over the abduction of Ukrainian children. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed Trump’s announcement, calling it “great news for the peace-loving people of the world” and saying Hungary is “ready” to host the talks.

Trump’s outreach to Putin comes as tensions remain high. In recent weeks, he has intensified his criticism of Moscow, saying that Ukraine could “regain all territories lost since the invasion.” Meanwhile, the U.S. is weighing whether to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep inside Russian territory, a move that Putin has warned would represent “a new stage of escalation.”