Trump says he will meet Putin in Budapest, touting progress in Ukraine talks

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Oct 16 to another summit to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a surprise move that came as Moscow feared fresh US military support for Kyiv.

Mr Trump said he and Mr Putin could meet within the next two weeks in Budapest after a more than two-hour phone call Mr Trump described as productive.

The Kremlin confirmed plans for such a meeting, though neither side provided a date for when it would occur.

“My whole life, I’ve made deals,” Mr Trump told reporters later at the White House. “I think we’re going to have this one done, hopefully soon.”

The development came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was headed to the White House on Oct 17 to push for more military support, potentially including US-made long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Mr Trump had seemed in recent days to be leaning toward granting Mr Zelensky fresh support.

Yet Mr Trump’s conciliatory tone following the Russia call appeared to leave in question the possibility of such support in the near term and revived European fears of US capitulation to Moscow.

Since taking office in January, Mr Trump has regularly threatened action against Russia, only to delay those steps after talks with Mr Putin.

Mr Trump sought a ceasefire ahead of

an Alaska summit with Mr Putin

in August that produced none.

At the time, some analysts said Mr Putin pocketed US concessions with no intent to halt fighting.

Three-way talks between Mr Putin, Mr Zelensky, and Mr Trump, another goal sought by Washington at the time, never materialised, and there is no immediate plan for such a meeting now.

The Republican president has positioned himself as a peacemaker and diplomat, touting achievements including the recent

Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal

.

He has said he thought the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion in 2022, would have been easier to end.

“Putin is trying to derail the momentum toward greater pressure on Russia,” said Mr Dan Fried, a former State Department official. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but the chances of moving toward a ceasefire by pushing Russia to get serious seem to have diminished.”

Putin warns Trump about supplying missiles

During the call, Mr Putin told Mr Trump that supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine would harm the peace process and damage US-Russia ties, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

“What do you think he’s going to say, ‘Please sell Tomahawks?’” Mr Trump later joked with reporters. “No, he doesn’t want,” Tomahawks given to Ukraine, Mr Trump added, calling them a “vicious weapon.”

Mr Zelensky, who is already in Washington, said Mr Putin’s decision to seek talks was a sign that he was on the defensive.

“We can already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks,” he said on X.

The Hungarian location selected for the Trump-Putin summit has drawn attention. 

Mr Putin is wanted for alleged war crimes in some jurisdictions, restricting his travel.

Ukraine’s relationship with Hungary has grown increasingly tense.

Mr Zelensky accused

Hungarian drones of crossing into Ukraine

in September, prompting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to retort that Ukraine was not an independent sovereign state.

In contrast to most Nato and European Union leaders, Mr Orban has maintained cordial relations with Russia while questioning the logic of Western military aid for Kyiv, a stance that has frequently put him at odds with Mr Zelensky.

“The planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is great news for the peace-loving people of the world,” Mr Orban said on X. “We are ready!”

He later said he had spoken by phone with Mr Trump and that preparations for a US-Russia peace summit were under way.

The Trump-Putin meeting will follow lower-level talks between Moscow and Washington next week, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a location to be determined,Mr Trump said.

The Kremlin said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would take part.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said he would brief Mr Zelensky on the Russia talks in the Oval Office on Oct 17.

“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” he added.

Ukraine wants to expand attack range

Kyiv and Moscow have been escalating their war with massive attacks on energy infrastructure while Nato struggles to respond to a spate of Russian air incursions.

Ukraine has been seeking missiles that would put Moscow and other major Russian cities within its range of fire.

Before Oct 16, Mr Trump had expressed increasing frustration with Mr Putin over ongoing attacks.

Mr Trump has said he could supply the long-range weapons to Ukraine if Mr Putin fails to come to the negotiating table.

In its latest barrage, Russia launched more than 300 drones and 37 missiles to target infrastructure across Ukraine in overnight attacks on Oct 16, Mr Zelensky said.

Kyiv has ramped up its own attacks on Russian targets, including an oil refinery in the Saratov region on Oct 16.

Russia has been hitting Ukraine’s energy and power facilities for consecutive winters as the war drags into its fourth year.

In the latest warnings to Russia, Mr Trump said on Oct 15 that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to stop buying oil from Russia, and that the administration would push China to do the same. India has not confirmed any such commitment. REUTERS