Trump and Putin to Hold Summit in Budapest

SadaNews - President Donald Trump had a "productive call" with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin yesterday, on the eve of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

Trump praised the "remarkable progress" made toward ending the war between Russia and Ukraine during his call with Putin, revealing that they agreed to hold a summit in Budapest.

Trump confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a high-level delegation for talks with the Russian side at an undisclosed location next week.

He noted that "success in the Middle East will contribute to our negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine," emphasizing that he dedicated a considerable amount of time to discuss "trade between Moscow and Washington after the war" during his call with Putin.

In an effort to reassure the Ukrainian president, who is seeking to persuade Washington to intensify pressure on Russia, Trump affirmed that he will discuss the details of his talks with Putin with Zelensky in their White House meeting today.

It is expected that the issue of supplying Kyiv with long-range U.S. "Tomahawk" missiles will be central in the meeting between Zelensky and Trump, especially after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Russia of "additional costs" if it continues its attacks against Ukraine. Hegseth said in Brussels on Wednesday, "If we cannot find a way to peace, we will impose the costs that we see fit in cooperation with our allies, and the United States is ready to play its role in ways that others cannot."