Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called his country an "island of peace" as he teased an upcoming summit there between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump announced on Thursday that he would hold a meeting with Putin in Budapest soon, although no date has yet been set. The announcement came ahead of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
Orban responded to the announcement on X, writing: "Preparations for the USA-Russia peace summit are underway. Hungary is the island of PEACE!"
He added in a separate post: "The planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is great news for the peace-loving people of the world. We are ready!"
Why It Matters
Trump’s announcement that he would meet with Putin came as a surprise amid fears in Moscow that Washington will increase its military support for Kyiv.
The leaders last met in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15 but the summit ended without any significant progress. Since then, Trump has stepped up his criticism of Putin, who has refused any peace deal offered by the U.S. It adds to anticipation over what can happen in Hungary, whose prime minister has a good relationship with both leaders.
What To Know
Trump said he held a two-hour phone conversation with Putin on Thursday in which the leaders agreed to another summit to discuss the war in Ukraine, this time in Budapest. The Kremlin confirmed plans for the meeting.
Trump said that he thinks there can be a deal done to end the war “hopefully soon” and Orban’s social media post that his country was an “island of peace” suggests there could be a breakthrough in the Hungarian capital.
One of Orban’s posts was shared by Kirill Dimitriev, Putin’s special envoy and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, who wrote that Hungary was “one of the few voices of reason and peace in the EU.”
Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that preparations for the summit would take place immediately following the “highly substantive conversation” between the Russian and U.S. presidents on Thursday.
The summit's announcement comes ahead of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump on Friday, with U.S. supplies of long-range Tomahawk missiles on the agenda.
Ushakov told reporters that during Thursday’s call, Putin said that supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine would “significantly damage relations between our countries.”
What People Are Saying
Yury Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, told reporters: "It has been agreed that representatives of the two countries will immediately start organizing the summit which could be held, for instance, in Budapest."
President Donald Trump said: “My whole life, I've made deals..."I think we're going to have this one done, hopefully soon.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban: “I just got off the phone with President Donald Trump. Preparations for the USA-Russia peace summit are underway. Hungary is the island of PEACE!”
What Happens Next
The diplomatic focus is now on Friday’s meeting between Trump and Zelensky and there will be anticipation over the Budapest summit between Putin and Trump.
