Preparations for a second summit between the Russian and American Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, were in high gear in the hours after the extended phone discussion between the two leaders on Oct. 16. Trump announced that he is sending Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his team. Asked whether his own subsequent meeting with Putin is expected within two weeks, Trump replied: “Pretty quick. Marco Rubio is going to be meeting with his counterpart as you know Lavrov and they’ll be meeting pretty soon. They’re going to set up a time and a place very shortly. Maybe it’s already set up.”
Otherwise, Trump did not entertain the narrative of his being involved in a tripartite meeting with Putin and Ukraine’s acting president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Such a meeting, he said, was difficult as the two have bad relations. “So, we may do something where we’re separate, but separate and equal.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported on Oct. 17 that Putin spoke with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and that Orban expressed a willingness to provide all the conditions for the upcoming summit in Budapest. Reportedly, Putin briefed Orban on the substance of his discussion with Trump. Peskov noted that the summit would be during the next two weeks or slightly later, but that the decision to hold it in Budapest was mutually agreed upon by Moscow and Washington, and that Hungary “commands the respect” of both Putin and Trump, given its “unique position in terms of its sovereignty and in defending its interests” while being a member of both NATO and the EU. The official readout of the Russian President said Putin pointed out to Orban “that the upcoming engagements with representatives of the United States are to serve to discuss a plan of further action to search for ways to settle the Ukraine crisis, which would include, amongst other things, a possible top-level meeting between Russia and the United States to be held in the Hungarian capital.”
Viktor Orban expressed willingness to lay the groundwork for holding a possible Russia-United States summit in Budapest in an Oct. 17 post on X: “Budapest is the only suitable place in Europe for a U.S.A.-Russia peace summit. With long-standing pro-peace leadership and trusted partnerships, we provide a reliable, secure, and politically stable setting. There was no other option. Simply put: they can count on us!”
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto posted today that “preparations are in full swing” after his discussion with Putin’s chief aide Yury Ushakov. He also indicated that Rubio and Lavrov are set to talk soon.
