Trump announces plans to meet Vladimir Putin in Hungary as peace push after a “productive” call
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, in a renewed effort to broker peace in Ukraine following what he described as a “productive” phone call between the two leaders. Though no firm date was set, the move comes amid intensifying diplomatic activity and ahead of a scheduled White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In his public remarks, Trump indicated that the summit would follow high-level talks between U.S. and Russian officials, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to lead the American delegation.
Trump framed the upcoming summit as part of a broader push to bring an end to Moscow’s war in Ukraine. He posted on social media that “great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” signaling cautious optimism that breakthrough is possible. While the details are still fluid, the Budapest meeting would build on a prior summit between the two leaders in Alaska—one that yielded no decisive agreement but laid groundwork for further engagement.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a longtime Trump ally, welcomed the announcement and confirmed that Hungary stands ready to host. “We are ready,” Orbán said, emphasizing that Budapest could play a role in facilitating talks between the U.S. and Russia.
In the coming days, U.S. and Russian representatives will convene ahead of the leaders’ meeting. Trump indicated that Rubio and other top diplomats will work out the agenda and logistics. The White House also confirmed that Friday’s meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy will touch on U.S. arms support for Ukraine, including recent debates over long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Analysts note this is a high-stakes gamble. Trump’s willingness to meet Putin directly underscores his readiness to exert personal influence over diplomacy. Critics will scrutinize whether any deal disproportionately favors Russia or sidelines Ukraine’s sovereignty. Supporters will contend that only by engaging the Russian leader can a lasting resolution be achieved. The optics of Trump leading the charge on peace will revive tension among allies and adversaries alike.
Moscow has not yet confirmed the meeting, but the announcement follows months of back-channel contacts and diplomatic overtures. Trump’s prior trip to Alaska with Putin in August ended without a peace agreement but set the stage for deeper talks. Observers are now watching whether Budapest becomes the site where bold diplomacy yields tangible results—or where expectations collide with geopolitical reality.
For Ukraine, a Trump-Putin meeting may bring hope of negotiation, but the government in Kyiv is likely to push for guarantees that any peace deal does not compromise Ukrainian territorial integrity. For European nations and NATO, the meeting raises questions about U.S. leadership and whether Trump can balance bold diplomacy with responsibility to allies.
Time will tell whether Budapest becomes ground zero for a new peace push or a moment of symbolic diplomacy with little change on the ground. Either way, Trump’s announcement has transformed expectations, placing the former president at center stage in the most consequential conflict of his era—and raising the possibility that he could emerge as a key mediator in a war that has reshaped global power.
