Trump May Consider Meeting Putin in Budapest

In Washington on Friday, President Trump indicated that there’s a possibility of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, even while welcoming Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to the White House.

“There’s always a chance—a very good chance,” Trump mentioned to reporters regarding a potential summit with Putin. This follows the cancellation of a planned meeting last month, primarily due to concerns over the stagnation in efforts to halt Putin’s nearly four-year-long invasion of Ukraine.

Later, he expressed a preference for Budapest, saying, “I would love to have it in Budapest, Hungary. It turns out I didn’t want to have that meeting because I didn’t think anything significant would come of it. But if we could arrange it, I’d really enjoy having it in Budapest.”

Critics pointed out that the choice of Anchorage, Alaska, for Trump’s second summit with Putin in August seemed problematic, particularly because Ukraine had agreed in 1994, in the same city, to relinquish its post-Soviet nuclear arsenal in exchange for Russia committing to respect its borders.

During discussions, Trump remarked on Orbán’s understanding of Putin, stating, “Victor, he knows him very well… I believe he thinks he can help end the war soon.” Orbán, who typically isn’t seen as very pro-Ukrainian among NATO leaders, added, “The only pro-peace governments are the U.S. and Hungary, a small European country.”

He further asserted, “All other governments seem to want the war to persist because they believe Ukraine can win. That’s a misjudgment of the situation.” Afterwards, Orbán commented that it would be a “miracle” for Ukraine to achieve victory.

Additionally, Orbán mentioned his intention to negotiate with Trump for exemptions from U.S. sanctions on Russian energy companies, which he implied had been secured. He also stated a desire for “huge investments” to expand Croatia’s oil pipeline, aiming to reduce Hungary’s reliance on Russian fuel.