President of the United States of America, Donald Trump,has said “great progress” was made during a phone call with President of Russia, Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the dup agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary.
Trump stated that the call, the first with Putin since mid-August, was “very productive”, adding that teams from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.
The US President did not confirm a date for his meeting with Putin in Budapest. The Kremlin said work on the summit would start “immediately” after the “extremely frank and trustful” call.
The talks came a day before Ukraine’s President Zelensky was to visit the White House, and with Trump weighing whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia.
As he arrived in the US, Zelensky said Moscow was “rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks”.
Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin “spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over”.
He said “high level advisors” from both countries would meet at an unspecified location next week, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading the American delegation.
Trump also said he would update Zelensky on his talks with Putin on Friday, adding: “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.”
He afterwards told journalists he expected to meet Putin “within two weeks”.
Probed about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, the US President said “we can’t deplete” the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding “we need them too… so I don’t know what we can do about that”.
Ambassador of Ukraine to the US, Olga Stefanishyna, stated that Russia launching overnight strikes on Ukraine “hours before” Putin’s call with Trump “exposes Moscow’s real attitude toward peace”.
In a statement to CBS, she added: “These assaults show that Moscow’s strategy is one of terror and exhaustion. The only effective response is pressure – through tougher sanctions, reinforced air defense, and the supply of long-range capabilities.”
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban said on X the planned Budapest meeting was “great news for the peace-loving people of the world”.
Earlier, he also stated: “Peace requires patience, strength, and humility. Europe must shift its stance. Instead of arrogance and fanning the flames of endless war, we need negotiations with Russia. Only dialogue can bring peace to our continent.”
Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin over the Ukraine war since a face-to-face summit in Alaska in August failed to produce a decisive breakthrough in attempts to broker a peace deal.
The pair met on US soil on 15 August for a summit which the US president hoped would help convince the Russian president to enter comprehensive peace talks to end the Ukraine war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The two leaders last met in Alaska in August for a summit which last only a few hours
They spoke again days later when Trump interrupted a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin.
Since then, neither the White House or Kremlin have public confirmed any communications between the two.
During his presidential election campaign, Trump claimed he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within days but has since admitted resolving the conflict has been more challenging than any he has been involved in since returning to power.
