WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold negotiations in Budapest in an effort to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end.
The announcement came after a prolonged telephone conversation between the two leaders, as diplomatic manoeuvring intensifies ahead of a planned White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump stated via his Truth Social platform that “great progress was made” in the call and that the summit will occur in an agreed location, naming Budapest as the intended host city.
He also indicated that ahead of the summit, senior officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would engage in preparatory talks with their Russian counterparts.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán welcomed the development, responding on social media with “We are ready!” and describing the prospective meeting as encouraging news for advocates of peace.
However, many details remain unsettled. Trump did not provide a precise date for the summit, nor did he confirm whether Zelenskyy would join the meeting directly.
In recent months, Trump has expressed frustration at ongoing Russian strikes against Ukrainian energy and infrastructure, suggesting that Kyiv may be supplied with long-range Tomahawk missiles if Moscow refuses to negotiate.
Russia has voiced strong reservations about such an arms transfer. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that deploying Tomahawks to Ukraine could precipitate severe retaliation, possibly even a nuclear escalation, citing the difficulty in distinguishing between conventional and nuclear warheads mid-flight.
The Kremlin has previously insisted that any weapons reaching Kyiv must not threaten Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Russia launched a large drone and missile strike campaign targeting gas and energy infrastructure across eastern Ukraine, including regions such as Kharkiv, Poltava, and Sumy.
The attacks disrupted power supplies and caused widespread damage, heightening urgency around the need for a diplomatic path forward.
According to TASS, the attack on Ukrainian power-grid was a retaliation of Ukraine’s year long drone attacks on Russian power-grids.
Observers caution that while the announcement raises hope for a fresh push toward negotiation, the success of the summit will depend on whether both sides can bridge the deep strategic divides and engage in sustained diplomacy rather than symbolic gestures.
Sources: AFP, Reuters, AP, The Guardian
