Trump plans meeting with Putin

By Anna Ringle

Washington (dpa) — US President Donald Trump plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, he announced on Truth Social on Thursday, without giving an exact date.

“We agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week. The United States’ initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated,” Trump wrote.

“President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this “inglorious” War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end.”

Before his social media post, Trump had held a telephone call with Putin which he labelled “a very productive one.”

He said the discussion also touched on trade relations between the United States and Russia after an end of the war in Ukraine.

Trump expressed confidence that the “Success in the Middle East,” referring to the agreement on a ceasefire after two years of war in Gaza, would help in negotiations regarding Ukraine.

“President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of for centuries,” Trump added.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to hold talks with Trump at the White House, where he will seek approval for the purchase of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.

A Tomahawk deal could be funded by NATO countries backing Ukraine.

The Kremlin has expressly cautioned the US administration against supplying the missiles.

Former president Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as vice chairman of the Russian Security Council, warned of a possible reaction with nuclear weapons.

Trump has been celebrated in Israel for helping conclude a ceasefire and hostage release deal between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants Hamas this month.

He has long wanted to negotiate an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine too following Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Trump held a summit with Putin in Alaska in August where little was agreed despite the convivial atmosphere.

Since then, Trump has said he has been left disappointed by Putin for not showing a willingness to stop the conflict. Now he sounds more bullish.

Trump said: “President Zelensky and I will be meeting tomorrow, in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more. I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.”