Trump announces plan to meet Putin in Budapest
US President Donald Trump has announced plans for a summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Budapest, Hungary.
The meeting will take place at a date to be determined after “high-level advisers” from the two countries meet next week, he said in a Truth Social post on Thursday.
Washington’s delegation at the initial meeting will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he said, adding that the location is yet to be determined.
Trump expressed hope that by meeting with Putin, the two leaders will be able to bring the Ukraine conflict to a close.
The call “was a very productive one,” he said, adding: “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.”
The last summit between the two presidents took place in Anchorage, Alaska in August. Both called the meeting productive, though no breakthrough was reached.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday praised the Trump administration’s diplomatic outreach, saying it is the only Western government that has made an effort to understand the fundamental causes of the Ukraine conflict.
Moscow is still awaiting Washington’s response to the roadmap presented at the Alaska summit, he added.
