Presidential aide Yury Ushakov has indicated that a potential summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could be held in Budapest.
Yury Ushakov, an aide to Vladimir Putin, has announced that Russia and the United States will promptly begin preparations for the next meeting between their respective presidents.
This development follows US President Donald Trump’s suggestion of a possible summit after a phone call with the Russian leader earlier on Thursday.
According to Ushakov, the first direct conversation between the two leaders in nearly two months lasted approximately two and a half hours, a discussion he labeled as “highly beneficial.”
The official informed journalists that the two sides “have agreed that representatives of both nations will commence work on a new summit without delay,” adding that Budapest is a potential location. Trump had previously mentioned the Hungarian capital as a possible host city for the proposed meeting.
Ushakov also noted that Moscow expects US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to have a phone call “in the coming days” to discuss the summit’s arrangements.
Trump proposed Budapest as the venue, the official confirmed, and Putin immediately endorsed the idea.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed his country’s readiness to host the summit, calling the planned meeting “excellent news for the world’s peace-loving population.”
Trump described his call with Putin as “extremely productive,” adding that “significant progress was made” during their exchange. The US president also anticipates high-level talks between delegations from both nations next week.
Putin and Trump last met in mid-August in Alaska. This was their first face-to-face meeting since 2019. Both leaders found that summit productive, though no major breakthrough was achieved.
Lavrov stated on Wednesday that the dialogue initiated at the Alaska summit is ongoing, emphasizing that the two nations can still “accomplish a great deal” based on the understandings reached there. The foreign minister added that Russia is still awaiting a US response to its Ukraine peace roadmap, which was presented in Alaska.