Trump and Putin to meet in Hungary soon: US President

New Delhi, Oct 17: US President Donald Trump announced that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold face-to-face talks in Budapest, Hungary, following what he described as a “very productive” telephone conversation aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “I have just concluded my telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, and it was a very productive one. President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of for centuries.”

The White House said the call the first between the two leaders since August, lasted nearly an hour and covered a broad range of issues including peace negotiations, trade, and humanitarian cooperation, reports international media.

Trump wrote that he believes “the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine.” He added that Putin “thanked the First Lady, Melania, for her involvement with children” and was “very appreciative,” saying the initiative would continue.

According to Trump, both sides agreed that “there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week. The United States’ initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated.” The President said the venue for those preliminary talks was still being finalised. He continued: “President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end.”

Kremlin officials confirmed the conversation, describing it as “extremely frank and trustful,” according to BBC. They said preparations for the Budapest summit would begin immediately. The call came on the eve of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington. Trump said he would brief Zelensky “tomorrow, in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more.”

“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump wrote, adding that discussions also focused on “Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over.” Speaking briefly to reporters afterward, Trump said he expected to meet Putin “within two weeks.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as reported by BBC, hailed the planned meeting as “great news for the peace-loving people of the world.” Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Orbán said, “Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent.”

The upcoming Budapest meeting marks a potential turning point after previous US-Russia talks, most recently in Alaska in August, failed to yield progress. Trump’s efforts to revive direct diplomacy with Moscow come as his administration weighs new sanctions and arms packages in response to the prolonged conflict. Trump has recently taken a tougher tone on Russia. Zelensky’s upcoming visit to Washington, his third this year, is expected to focus heavily on securing advanced weaponry, including Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep inside Russian territory.

As the US President put it on Truth Social, “I believe great progress was made,” but whether that optimism translates into concrete results in Budapest remains to be seen.