US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had a “very productive” telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that both leaders agreed to meet in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss ending the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The date for the meeting is yet to be finalized.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump stated that he and Putin made “great progress” during their call and expressed optimism about bringing an end to what he called the “inglorious war” between Russia and Ukraine.
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“President Putin congratulated me and the United States on our great accomplishment of peace in the Middle East, something long dreamed of for centuries,” Trump wrote, referring to his recent diplomatic success involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Gaza conflict.
Trump said he believed the recent peace deal in the Middle East would strengthen his position in negotiations with Putin. Both leaders also discussed post-war trade cooperation between Russia and the United States.
He further revealed that high-level advisors from both sides will hold preparatory meetings next week, led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “President Putin and I will then meet in Budapest to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious war’ to an end,” he added.
The announcement came a day before Trump’s scheduled meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is expected to seek approval for US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles.
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According to AFP, Trump is considering Ukraine’s request for the Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of around 1,600 km. However, Russian President Putin has warned that such a move would represent a “new level of escalation” in the conflict.
If held, the meeting in Hungary will mark the second face-to-face interaction between Trump and Putin since Trump’s return to office. Their previous meeting took place in Alaska in August but yielded no breakthrough on the Ukraine war.
