In a move that has grabbed the world’s attention, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is preparing to host both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, marking a rare convergence of global power players in the heart of Central Europe. The anticipated summit, set for late October or early November 2025, comes at a critical juncture for Orban, who is seeking to bolster his re-election prospects amid waning domestic popularity and mounting scrutiny from the European Union.
According to Bloomberg, Orban has long cultivated relationships with both Trump and Putin, hoping that these alliances would eventually pay dividends. Now, with the high-profile meeting just weeks away, he is positioning himself as the architect of a potential breakthrough in global diplomacy—one that could echo far beyond Hungary’s borders.
Orban’s efforts to set the stage for this summit were on full display at the recent Gaza peace summit in Egypt on October 13, 2025. As reported by The Times, he boasted of lobbying Trump directly for the meeting, framing it as a validation of his “pro-peace” stance and his unique status as both Putin’s closest friend in the European Union and an “ardent fan” of the U.S. leader. In Orban’s own words, “Everyone in the EU is pro-war except us. But the EU should not be absent from peace. Like the American president, we should be talking with the Russians—not just trailing behind US diplomacy as auxiliary forces.”
The timing of the meeting is laden with historical symbolism. The summit is expected to coincide with the annual commemoration of the 1956 Hungarian uprising, observed between October 23 and November 7. This was a pivotal moment in Hungary’s modern history, when Soviet troops and tanks crushed a pro-democracy rebellion, leaving thousands dead. For Orban, who began his political career as a dissident under the Communist dictatorship, the irony is palpable: Hungary, once occupied by Soviet forces, now welcomes the Russian president as an honored guest.
Orban’s relationship with Putin is seen as particularly unusual given Hungary’s past. The country remains dependent on Russian fossil fuels, notably through the Druzhba (“friendship”) oil pipeline, a legacy of the Cold War era. Putin himself is known to use the informal Russian “ty” when addressing Orban—a level of familiarity typically reserved for close friends or family, as noted by The Times. This personal rapport has drawn criticism from some EU leaders, who view Orban as a pariah due to his tough migration policies, resistance to “woke” LGBT directives from Brussels, and his 14-year friendship with the Russian leader.
Yet Orban is unapologetic. “If this Middle East peace could happen, if the Trump-Putin meeting happens, why shouldn’t we believe that Europeans can get on the right path,” he said, underscoring his belief in dialogue over confrontation. He has called on Hungarians to support the meeting, emphasizing that the negotiations “will not be about us,” but about achieving peace. “There has not been a diplomatic event like this for a long time. I ask everyone to exercise restraint, because this negotiation is not about us, but about peace. It is in the interest of every Hungarian family that the Trump-Putin meeting brings peace,” Orban stated on Friday, as quoted by The Times.
The summit is also expected to touch on the ongoing war in Ukraine, an issue that has strained relations between Russia and the West since 2014, when Putin annexed Crimea, and even more so after the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The choice of Budapest as the venue carries a bitter resonance for Ukrainians. It was here, in 1994, that the so-called Budapest Memorandum was signed, with Ukraine agreeing to relinquish its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the U.S., Britain, and other powers. Those guarantees proved hollow when Russia violated Ukraine’s sovereignty, a point that continues to haunt regional diplomacy.
Orban’s motivations for hosting the summit are as much about domestic politics as international relations. Having served five non-consecutive terms as prime minister since 1998, he now faces a tough general election in April 2026. His Fidesz party has seen its standing in opinion polls slip, and Orban is eager to demonstrate to voters that his years of diplomatic outreach—often at odds with the EU mainstream—have not been in vain. A successful summit, he hopes, will showcase Hungary’s importance on the world stage and vindicate his controversial policies.
But Orban’s approach has not been without consequences. In June 2025, Hungary announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move prompted by the court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who visited Budapest in April. This decision means that Putin, who is himself the subject of an ICC warrant, can travel to Hungary without fear of arrest—something that would not be possible in most other EU countries.
The logistics of Putin’s trip are expected to be relatively straightforward. Traveling across the Black Sea, he can reach Budapest without crossing into EU territory where the ICC warrant would be enforced. For Orban, this is both a practical and symbolic win, reinforcing Hungary’s independence from the legal and diplomatic constraints that bind its European neighbors.
Still, the summit’s significance is not lost on observers. For some, it is a testament to Orban’s ability to punch above his weight, leveraging Hungary’s strategic position and his own personal relationships to draw the world’s gaze. For others, it is a troubling sign of Hungary’s drift from the European mainstream, as Orban courts leaders who are often at odds with Western values and institutions.
The reaction within Hungary is expected to be mixed. Orban himself has acknowledged the potential for controversy, urging restraint and unity in the face of what he calls a historic diplomatic opportunity. “This negotiation will not be about us,” he reiterated, “but about peace.”
As the date approaches, much remains uncertain. Will the Trump-Putin summit in Budapest yield tangible progress on the world’s most intractable conflicts? Or will it serve primarily as a platform for Orban to burnish his credentials ahead of a crucial election? Either way, the Hungarian capital is poised to become the stage for a diplomatic drama with far-reaching implications.
In the coming weeks, as Budapest prepares for its moment in the spotlight, Hungarians and the world will be watching closely to see whether Orban’s gamble pays off—or whether it further deepens the divides that have come to define both his leadership and the broader European landscape.
