Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, in a bid to negotiate an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The announcement, made Thursday via the president’s Truth Social platform, follows what Trump described as a “very productive” phone call with the Russian leader.
While no specific date for the summit has been set, Trump said the meeting would take place in Budapest, a location agreed upon by both sides. He added that he would first meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday to discuss his recent conversation with Putin and other key topics.
“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,” Trump wrote. “President Zelenskyy and I will be meeting tomorrow, in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more.”
The high-level diplomatic initiative marks a significant escalation in Trump’s direct involvement in international peace efforts since returning to office earlier this year. The president’s latest overture comes amid growing international fatigue with the nearly four-year conflict, which has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced across Eastern Europe.
Putin Supports Summit Plan
Kremlin officials quickly endorsed the idea of a summit. Yury Ushakov, a senior adviser to Putin, described the nearly two-and-a-half-hour call between the two leaders as “highly informative and extremely frank,” adding that it had been requested by Moscow.
According to Ushakov, Putin expressed immediate support for the proposed Budapest summit, which is expected to focus on a potential ceasefire, future security guarantees, and postwar reconstruction efforts. The leaders’ last in-person meeting took place two months ago in Anchorage, Alaska a location chosen after Budapest had previously been considered.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of both Trump and Putin, welcomed the announcement. “The planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is great news for the peace-loving people of the world,” Orbán posted on X (formerly Twitter). “We are ready” to host the visit, he added.
U.S. and Russian Delegations to Begin Preliminary Talks
As part of the emerging diplomatic track, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would lead a delegation of U.S. officials to begin talks with Russian counterparts next week. A location for those meetings has not yet been determined.
“At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week,” Trump wrote. “The United States’ initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated.”
The announcement marks a major moment for Rubio, who was appointed Secretary of State earlier this year and has played a central role in shaping Trump’s foreign policy reset, including outreach to adversarial states.
Key Topics: Peace, Trade, and Humanitarian Issues
In his social media post, Trump said the leaders discussed a range of issues during the call, including trade relations and the broader geopolitical implications of the Ukraine war.
“President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East,” Trump wrote, referring to recent normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations. “I actually believe that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine.”
He also noted that trade relations between Russia and the U.S. post-conflict were a significant part of the discussion.
One unexpected detail emerged from the call: Putin reportedly thanked First Lady Melania Trump for her advocacy on behalf of children displaced by the war. The first lady recently facilitated the reunification of eight Ukrainian children with their families, following months of quiet diplomacy between her office and Russian officials.
“He was very appreciative, and said that this will continue,” Trump said.
Zelensky to Meet Trump in Washington
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to press the U.S. administration on military support when he meets Trump in the Oval Office on Friday. Speaking to journalists in Kyiv ahead of the trip, Zelensky said key topics would include air defense and the possible delivery of long-range weapons.
“The main topics of our conversation with President Trump will include air defense and our possibilities with long-range missiles to put pressure on Russia,” Zelensky said.
While Trump has recently floated the idea of providing Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles, the topic was not mentioned in the public readout of his phone call with Putin.
White House: More Details to Come
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the length and substance of the Trump-Putin call but declined to offer additional details. “This call literally just happened, so we will provide you with more details as soon as we can,” she told reporters during an afternoon press briefing.
“I was just talking with the president and the secretary of state and the vice president, and it was a very good and productive call,” she added.
A Diplomatic Gamble with High Stakes
The proposed summit in Budapest could mark a turning point in the war if it leads to meaningful negotiations. However, skepticism remains high in European capitals and within parts of the U.S. foreign policy establishment, where many question Putin’s willingness to compromise or withdraw forces from Ukrainian territory.
Still, with momentum building around a renewed diplomatic push, and with key players now publicly aligned behind talks, the next several weeks may prove decisive in determining whether the path of war gives way to a fragile but much-needed peace.
