Preparations for a high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are intensifying, with Budapest poised to host what could become a pivotal meeting in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a key facilitator, announced on October 17, 2025, that arrangements for the Trump-Putin meeting are "in full swing," according to a statement posted on his Facebook page and reported by Censor.NET. The summit, which Trump hopes will occur within two weeks, is expected to include Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, with Ukraine’s future and the war at the heart of the agenda.
The Kremlin confirmed that Orbán initiated a phone call with Putin to discuss the summit's logistics. Putin, in turn, briefed Orbán about his recent conversation with Trump and outlined an "algorithm of further actions" aimed at seeking a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, which Russia launched in February 2022. The Russian leader and Orbán agreed that Hungary would provide the necessary conditions for the summit, with Orbán reiterating his country’s readiness to host the event.
For Orbán, Hungary’s selection as the summit’s venue is a point of national pride and a reflection of his government’s unique stance within Europe. As he told state radio, “Budapest is essentially the only place in Europe today where such a meeting could be held, primarily because Hungary is almost the only pro-peace country. For three years, we have been the only country that has consistently, openly, loudly and actively advocated for peace.” This pro-peace positioning has seen Hungary resist Western efforts to supply Ukraine with weapons or financial aid and even increase its imports of Russian fossil fuels since the invasion began, as reported by National World.
Yet Orbán’s approach has drawn sharp criticism from other European leaders, who see Hungary’s actions as undermining European unity and, in some cases, favoring the aggressor. Since the start of the war, Hungary, despite being a NATO member, has refused to allow arms transfers to Ukraine across its borders, threatened to veto EU sanctions against Moscow, and held up major EU funding packages to Kyiv. These moves have isolated Budapest from most of its European Union partners, who largely support Ukraine’s defense efforts.
The summit’s location in Budapest is not without historical irony. In 1994, the Hungarian capital was the site of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum, where the U.S., U.K., and Russia guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in exchange for Kyiv relinquishing its nuclear arsenal. For many Ukrainians, the memorandum has become a symbol of broken promises, especially after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion eight years later.
The European Commission has responded to news of the planned meeting with cautious pragmatism. Olof Gill, a commission spokesman, told reporters, “We live in the real world. Meetings don’t always happen in the precise order or format that we would like them to, but if meetings… move us towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, then we should welcome them.” The EU, while emphasizing its commitment to international criminal justice, appears willing to support any diplomatic step that could lead to peace, even if it means engaging with Putin, who is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes related to the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Hungary’s own relationship with the ICC complicates matters further. The country is in the process of withdrawing from the court, with the exit set to take effect in June 2026. Until then, Hungary remains legally obliged to cooperate with the ICC, including enforcing arrest warrants. Nonetheless, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto assured on Friday that Hungary would “welcome” Putin and guarantee his safety, declaring, “There is no need for any consultation with anyone. We are a sovereign country.” This stance echoes Hungary’s earlier hospitality toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also faces an ICC warrant.
Putin’s potential travel to Budapest raises logistical and legal questions. He would need to fly through the airspace of either Ukraine or other EU countries, where the ICC warrant is valid. While Russian planes are generally banned from EU airspace, individual member states can issue exemptions, and, as EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Anitta Hipper noted, Putin is not specifically under a travel ban, though his assets are frozen under EU sanctions.
Trump, for his part, has acknowledged the complexities surrounding the summit, even conceding that Putin “may be playing for time” by agreeing to meet. “But I’ve been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well. So, it’s possible, a little time, it’s alright. But I think that I’m pretty good at this stuff. I think that he wants to make a deal,” Trump told AFP during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on October 17, 2025. Trump maintains that Putin “wants to end the war,” though Zelensky countered that the Russian leader is “not ready” for peace.
The Ukrainian president’s visit to Washington was marked by high stakes and urgency. Zelensky pressed Trump for long-range Tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep into Russia, and, according to AFP, showed maps of potential targets in Russia that could be hit to pressure Putin into negotiations. Zelensky’s efforts underscore Ukraine’s determination to have a seat at the table, a sentiment echoed by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who insisted that “Ukraine must be included in any decisions made at the Trump-Putin Budapest talks.”
Despite the summit’s promise, skepticism abounds. Trump’s previous meeting with Putin in Alaska in August 2025 failed to yield a breakthrough. Critics question whether Budapest’s talks will be any different, especially given Hungary’s alignment with Moscow and the absence of direct Ukrainian participation. Meanwhile, the war grinds on: Ukraine struck a Russian oil depot and fuel warehouse in occupied Crimea just ahead of the latest round of diplomacy, and Russia continues to prosecute Ukrainian prisoners of war in trials condemned by Kyiv as violations of international law.
As the world watches, Budapest prepares to play host to a diplomatic gamble. Whether the Trump-Putin summit will mark a step toward peace or merely another round of geopolitical maneuvering remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the stakes, for Ukraine and for Europe, could hardly be higher.
