Trump plans to meet Putin in Budapest after 'very productive' call

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Oct 16, 2025

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President Donald Trump said Thursday he will meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin again after what he called a “very productive” phone call aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump said he would hold a second summit with Putin soon in Budapest, Hungary, although he didn’t disclose a date.

“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump said on his social media site.

He reported that Putin heaped praise on him for forging the hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and suggested the peacemaking momentum could lead to a breakthrough in Ukraine.

“I actually believe that the success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the war with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump said.

Trump didn’t explain why he believes a new meeting with the Kremlin strongman might produce any different result than their recent inconclusive summit in Alaska.

He said the Budapest summit, hosted by Hungary’s Viktor Orban, would come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Russian counterparts next week.

“We are ready!” said Orban after news of the summit broke.

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Putin to either agree to hold peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or agree to a ceasefire on the ground, often saying he expects to see action within about two weeks.

But the deadlines have come and gone with no action from Trump, leading Kremlin backers and foes alike to conclude he isn’t serious about putting meaningful pressure on Putin.

The call came ahead of a planned White House meeting Friday with Zelenskyy, who has been pressing Trump to provide Kyiv with U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles that would allow Ukrainian forces to strike much deeper into Russia.

Zelenskyy has argued such strikes could hobble the Kremlin war machine and could force Putin to take the peace talks more seriously.

Trump promised to quickly end both the war Gaza and in Ukraine during his 2024 reelection campaign.

After winning the Gaza ceasefire by putting unprecedented pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump is projecting new confidence that he can use a similar tactic to end the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which has stretched on for 3 1/2 years with no end in sight.

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