Russia, Hungary say preparations for Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest still ongoing

Russia says preparation for Putin-Trump summit still ongoing

Russia said the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, was still ongoing, despite Trump’s earlier announcement that the planned summit had been put on hold, according to AFP.

The meeting, originally intended to discuss Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, was postponed following a phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"We are saying that preparations for a summit are continuing," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also stated that preparations for a meeting in Budapest between Trump and Putin are still underway, according to Reuters.

"Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó is in Washington. Preparations for the peace summit are continuing. The date is still uncertain. When the time comes, we will hold it," Orbán wrote on Facebook.

Orbán, who trails in most polls ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections, has been a long-time ally of Trump. He has also maintained warm relations with Moscow, adding to the bête noire status he has already acquired in Brussels after years of conflict over what the EU calls democratic backsliding in Hungary.

Discussions about the meeting follow a call between Presidents Putin and Trump ahead of Trump’s scheduled talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump had announced last week that he and Putin would meet soon in Hungary to try to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Trump said he did not want to have a “wasted meeting” but suggested there could be further developments, adding, “We’ll be notifying you over the next two days.”

(With agency inputs)