Trump: I’ll meet Putin in Budapest in two weeks
US President Donald Trump announced his intention to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the next two weeks in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
This comes ahead of his upcoming meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is seeking to acquire US Tomahawk missiles to bolster his country’s defense capabilities.
The announcement of the summit came after a phone call on Thursday between Trump and Putin, which both sides described as frank and trustworthy.
Trump explained to reporters from the Oval Office that the summit would take place in two weeks, noting that significant progress had been made in the call, according to a post on Truth Social.
For its part, Moscow stated that the call was initiated by the Russian president and included a direct warning from Putin regarding the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Putin emphasized that this step could significantly damage bilateral relations and negatively impact the chances of a political solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
Despite Ukrainian pressure, Trump appeared hesitant to agree to supply Kiev with Tomahawk missiles, saying, “We can’t exhaust our reserves… We need them too, so I’m not sure what we can offer”.
The Tomahawk (BGM-109) missile has a range of approximately 1,600 kilometers and is known for its ability to fly at low altitudes to evade radar, making it an effective weapon for striking strategic targets.
However, Russia believes that delivering these missiles to Ukraine will not change the balance of power on the ground, but will exacerbate diplomatic tensions with Washington, according to statements by Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to the Russian president.
Trump indicated that it was agreed to hold a preliminary meeting between senior advisors from the two countries next week, chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in preparation for the upcoming summit.
He added that the meeting with Putin would take place in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
For his part, Ushakov stated that negotiations on the summit would begin immediately, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán confirmed via X: “We’re ready to host this meeting”.
These moves come at a time of heightened tension in US-Russian relations over the war in Ukraine, as Washington seeks to strike a balance between supporting Kyiv and preventing further escalation with Moscow.
The upcoming summit between Trump and Putin represents the first serious attempt to revive political dialogue since their last meeting in Alaska on August 15, which ended without tangible results.
