WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 16 and agreed to meet with him in Budapest, Hungary, with the aim of ending what he called the “inglorious” war between Russia and Ukraine.
“At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week,” Trump said, noting that the initial meetings will be led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials to be named. A meeting venue has yet to be determined.
“President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this 'inglorious' War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end," Trump wrote.
Trump later told reporters that the meeting with Putin could take place within “two weeks.” The two leaders met in Alaska in August, but that summit failed to produce a breakthrough for peace.
The call, which lasted more than two hours, came a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is slated to visit the White House as part of a renewed push to resolve the war in Eastern Europe.
After successfully brokering a peace deal between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, Trump has now turned his focus to Ukraine.
“They don't get along too well—those two—and it's sometimes tough to have meetings,” Trump told reporters, referring to the ongoing tensions between Putin and Zelenskyy.
The international community will be closely watching what pressures he might employ to end the Russia–Ukraine war, Europe’s deadliest war since World War II.
Trump said the successful implementation of the peace deal in the Gaza Strip will be helpful in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
“President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of for centuries,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post. “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.”
He noted that Russia is “using double terror” by continuing its strikes to target firefighters and energy workers who are trying to restore damaged facilities.
“If this war doesn’t get settled, I may send Tomahawks,” Trump told reporters earlier this month.
He also said he needed Ukraine to answer some questions before finalizing his decision.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he had raised the issue of Tomahawk missile sales during the call with Putin.
“I did actually say, ‘Would you mind if I gave a couple of thousand Tomahawks to your opposition?’" Trump said. "I did say that to him. I said it just that way. He didn't like the idea. You have to be a little bit light-hearted sometimes.
“Tomahawk is a vicious weapon. Nobody wants a Tomahawk shot at him.”
The critical meeting at the White House will set the stage for a global push to end the war through strength, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna, told The Epoch Times in a statement.
“The key topics of the visit include strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, boosting the resilience of our energy sector, expanding long-range capabilities, and exploring additional sanctions on Russia,” she said.
One of the important announcements from the White House meeting is expected to be new arms deliveries to Ukraine under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, Stefanishyna said, referring to the NATO-led initiative that helps Kiev purchase U.S.-sourced weapons. The establishment of the initiative was announced on July 14 during a meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“Beyond military cooperation, this week is also a moment to advance Ukraine–U.S. economic ties,” Stefanishyna said.
“The ambitious bilateral critical minerals deal has already entered the implementation phase, with initial projects underway.
“In parallel, we have launched negotiations on a unique technology-sharing agreement that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s cutting-edge drone technologies—across land, air, and maritime platforms.”