The Kremlin stated this Friday (17) that the meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, announced by the American leader the day before, could take place within “two weeks”. The meeting should take place in Budapest, Hungary, but the Russian government highlighted that “there is a lot to be defined” before confirming the date.
Among the impasses is the route that Putin must follow to reach the location, due to the international arrest warrant issued by the Hague Court, which prevents him from flying over the airspace of countries that are signatories to the Court. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the location of the meeting, but said it was still necessary to define how the Russian president would get there.
The announcement of the new summit came a day before Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. According to Peskov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet to iron out details prior to the summit.
Trump stated on his Truth Social network that he had a “very productive conversation” with Putin on Thursday (16), two months after their last meeting, in Alaska. “The president congratulated me and the United States on the great achievement of peace in the Middle East (…) We also spent a lot of time talking about trade between Russia and the United States after the end of the war with Ukraine. (…) I believe that today’s telephone conversation was a great progress”, he wrote.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy, also assessed the call as “productive and positive, and [que] defined the next steps of the negotiations clearly”.
According to a White House spokesperson, the conversation between the two leaders lasted more than two hours. Trump maintains the expectation of bringing Putin and Zelensky together at the same table to discuss peace in Ukraine — a central promise of his campaign in 2024.
Zelensky, in turn, once again pressured Washington to sell Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, which would allow it to attack more distant targets on Russian territory. He argues that such a military buildup could lead Putin to take Trump’s calls for direct negotiations more seriously.
Despite the optimistic statements, the Kremlin remains cautious and highlights that political and logistical circumstances still represent significant obstacles to holding the meeting.
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/10/17/putin-e-trump-devem-se-reunir-na-hungria-em-duas-semanas/
