Putin-Trump summit to be historic – European leader

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has warned that “liberal” elements in the West could attempt to derail the meeting

The upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Hungary is likely to be historic, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has predicted.

The meeting in Budapest is expected to focus on resolving the Ukraine conflict. In stark contrast to most other EU member states, Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels’ confrontational policies toward Russia and advocated for a more diplomatic approach.

Speaking to Serbian media on Friday, Vucic said he was “glad that [Hungarian] Prime Minister Viktor Orban got the opportunity to arrange perhaps the most important summit of the 21st century.” 

The Serbian leader, however, warned that “liberal” elements within the US and certain EU countries could attempt to derail the upcoming summit.

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On Saturday, Spain’s El Pais newspaper claimed that the planned Putin-Trump meeting in the heart of Europe was an “embarrassing and awkward situation” for the EU and NATO. Hungary is a member of both.

The publication quoted an anonymous European diplomat as saying that choosing Budapest as the host city would likely deepen the “fissures within the EU over the Kremlin.” 

On Friday, Orban wrote on X that Budapest, with its “long-standing pro-peace leadership,” is the “only suitable place in Europe for a USA–Russia peace summit.” 

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto confirmed on Facebook that “preparations [for the summit] are in full swing.” 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov suggested the same day that the meeting could take place within the next two weeks or slightly later.

On Thursday, Trump and Putin spoke by phone for nearly two and a half hours – their first such conversation in almost two months. According to the Russian president’s chief foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, the talks proved “very useful.” Trump similarly described his call with Putin as “very productive.” 

The two leaders met in person in Alaska in mid-August, marking their first face-to-face negotiations since 2019.