President Donald Trump announced that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Budapest, Hungary, to try to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, following a phone call he described as “very productive.” Trump said the summit would take place after preparatory meetings between top U.S. and Russian officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He posted on Truth Social that he believed “great progress was made” in the call and that he would brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about it during their meeting in Washington the next day.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin accepted the Budapest proposal and said the timing of the meeting would hinge on the outcomes of the ministerial and staff-level preparatory contacts. Russian officials also emphasized concerns about the U.S. supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, warning such actions could damage U.S.-Russia relations and undermine prospects for a negotiated solution.
Hungary has expressed readiness to host talks, with Hungarian officials noting that Budapest has previously offered to host Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations. One factor complicating the plan will be Ukraine’s reaction: Kyiv and its Western backers are likely to scrutinize any summit that appears to involve U.S.-Russia diplomacy without strong Ukrainian participation or transparency. Trump’s ability to reconcile direct engagement with Russia while continuing support for Ukraine—including military aid and sanctions—will test both domestic political limits and international expectations.
At this stage, the date and agenda for the Budapest meeting remain unsettled, and much will depend on how forthcoming the preparatory diplomatic exchanges are and how each side frames the terms and enforcement mechanisms of any agreement.
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