In a surprising twist, Trump announced plans for a meeting with Putin in Hungary, igniting fresh hope for a peace process in Ukraine that many had deemed stagnant at best.
This aligns with previous suggestions of a potential Budapest gathering.
Associated Press reported:
“Trump spoke with Putin on Thursday regarding Ukraine’s request for long-range missiles. This conversation precedes Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who continues to advocate for the sale of Tomahawk missiles to empower Kyiv’s military actions against Russian forces. Zelenskyy maintains that such capabilities could push Putin to engage more seriously in negotiations to bring the conflict to a close.”
BREAKING: Trump and Putin to meet in Budapest, Hungary to discuss ending Ukraine war
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 16, 2025
“I have just finished a highly fruitful call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who congratulated me and the United States on the great milestone of Middle East peace—a dream realized after centuries.
I firmly believe this success will bolster our efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. President Putin also expressed gratitude to First Lady Melania for her commitment to children’s issues.
We delved into trade relations between our nations, to be revisited post-conflict. As our call ended, we concurred on convening our top advisors next week.
The US delegation will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with an upcoming meeting location to be determined. Our direct talks, meanwhile, will occur in Budapest, Hungary, with the goal of concluding this ‘inglorious’ war.
Additionally, I am scheduled to meet President Zelenskyy tomorrow in the Oval Office to further discuss my conversation with President Putin and various other significant matters. I am optimistic about the progress made during today’s call.
While Trump’s administration celebrates its historic peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, the president is pivoting to address his next crucial foreign policy agenda: resolving Europe’s bloodiest conflict since WWII.
“First, we must tackle the situation with Russia,” Trump remarked, directing his special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has played a key role in discussions with Putin. “Let’s prioritize that one, shall we?”
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