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Trump said the Russian president congratulated him on the ‘accomplishment of peace in the Middle East’ in a two-hour call
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Donald Trump will meet Vladimir Putin in Budapest to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, just days after welcoming Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House.
The US President said he held a “lengthy” phone call with Putin on Thursday afternoon, during which the Russian president congratulated him on the “Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East”.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet with Russian officials next week, followed by a summit between himself and Putin in Budapest. He did not give a precise date for either meeting.
It comes amid growing signs that Trump will supply American long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv to bolster its resistance against Russia, with Moscow warning that such a move would provoke a response.
Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday to discuss the future of the conflict – his third such meeting with the US president since his return to office in January.
Zelensky has landed in Washington ahead of his visit to the Oval Office on Friday.
In the meantime, he is having meetings with defence company representatives, who produce powerful weapons that can strengthen Ukraine’s protection, he said. He is planning to seek out additional supplies of air defence systems.
Zelensky will also meet with energy companies.
“Now, as Russia is betting on terror against our energy sector and carrying out daily strikes, we are working to ensure Ukraine’s resilience,” he said.
High-level Ukrainian figures, including Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, are already in the US, planning ahead of Zelensky’s visit to the Oval Office on Friday.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky’s office, said they hoped for concrete decisions at Friday’s meeting.
Together with Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council @rustem_umerov, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs @SergiyKyslytsya, and Ambassador of Ukraine to the U.S. @StefanishynaO, we met with President Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine @generalkellogg and his… pic.twitter.com/unMwVNXZt5
During their phone call, Trump said Putin thanked the First Lady for her involvement in returning kidnapped Ukrainian children to their families.
“He was very appreciative, and said that this will continue,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Last week, Melania Trump revealed that she had sent a letter to Putin in August regarding the fate of the thousands of children who had been taken by Russian forces during the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin responded in writing to signal a “willingness to engage” with Mrs Trump, she said.
“Since then, President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children,” she said.
Eight children had been rejoined with their families, according to Mrs Trump.
Putin warned Trump that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would harm peace prospects and damage US-Russia relations, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Zelensky is visiting Trump at the Oval Office on Friday where he is expected to push for the supply of Tomahawks.
Trump told reporters travelling with him to Israel on Sunday that he planned to discuss providing Kyiv with the weapons as a way to pressure Putin to end the war.
“Do they want to have Tomahawks going in that direction? I don’t think so,” Trump said on Sunday.
“I think I might speak to Russia about that.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has applauded Trump and Putin’s plans to meet in Budapest in a post on X.
The planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is great news for the peace-loving people of the world. We are ready!
Following Putin’s phone call with Trump, Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said in a post on X: “UK and EU warmongers try very very hard to derail peace prospects.
“But dialogue and peace and the US-Russia cooperation will prevail.”
Trump announced he would soon be meeting Putin in Budapest to discuss bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.
In a separate post, Mr Dmitriev said: “Hungary has been the voice of reason in Europe and a peacemaker.”
Trump still thinks it could be possible for Putin and Zelensky to meet, his spokeswoman said after their phone call on Thursday.
Following Trump’s two-hour call with Putin, Karoline Leavitt said the president was trying to move the ball forward on peace, Sky News reported.
Trump had hoped that Putin and Zelensky could talk after he met with Putin in Alaska in August, and Zelensky said he was ready to do so. However, Russia has not committed to a meeting.
Trump has ended his phone call with Putin, saying it was “very productive” and that the pair will meet in Budapest soon to discuss bringing the war in Ukraine to an end.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Putin congratulated him on bringing “peace to the Middle East”, which he said had been “dreamed of for centuries.”
Trump said the “success” of the peace deal in Gaza would help bring an end to the Ukraine war.
High-level advisors from Russia and the US, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are meeting next week. Trump and Putin will then meet again in Budapest.
No precise date was given for either meeting.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Trump in the Oval Office on Friday to discuss the future of the conflict, including the potential supply of Tomahawks to Kyiv.
Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, has imposed emergency power cuts across all regions following Russia’s continuous attacks on its energy system.
It announced the cuts on Thursday following a large Russian attack overnight, which targeted the energy sector, alongside civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The European Union has unveiled its plan to ensure that it can defend itself from a Russian attack by the end of the decade, as Russia continues to test its defences through airspace violations across Europe.
It will include the European Drone Defence Initiative, which aims to build counter-drone capabilities to detect, track, and disable rogue drones.
The system is expected to be initially operational by December 2026 and fully functional in late 2027.
As she unveiled the European Commission’s plan, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said danger would not disappear, even if the Ukraine war were to end.
“Russia has no capacity to launch an attack on the European Union today, but it could prepare itself in the years to come.”
The drone system is part of the broader ‘Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030’, which proposes four flagship European defence projects.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said: “The recent threats have shown that Europe is at risk. We have to protect every citizen and square centimetre of our territory.”
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