President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, are set to meet in Budapest, Hungary, for further talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The announcement came on Thursday following Trump’s telephone conversation with Putin, who recently warned Washington against supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kiev.
Trump said the Russian leader congratulated him and the United States on the “great accomplishment of peace in the Middle East,” referring to the deal signed in Egypt earlier this week.
He noted that the Middle East success would aid negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Ukrainian conflict, which has now exceeded 44 months.
The leaders also discussed post-war trade between the US and Russia and agreed that senior advisors from both sides would meet next week.
The initial sessions ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside other designated officials.
Meanwhile, President Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are scheduled to meet on Friday in the Oval Office to discuss recent communications between Washington and Moscow.
Trump and Putin last met in August in Anchorage, Alaska, but no agreement was announced. According to Trump, the responsibility now rests with Ukraine to cede territory to bring an end to the war.
