Trump says Putin call ‘very productive’, hints at Budapest peace summit to end Russia-Ukraine war

Former US President Donald Trump has revealed details of what he described as a “very productive” phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising hopes of potential progress towards ending the long-running Russia-Ukraine war.

In a post shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I have just concluded my telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, and it was a very productive one. 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 said, "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. President Putin thanked the First Lady, Melania, for her involvement with children. He was very appreciative and said that this will continue. We also spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over."

At the conclusion of the call, Trump said we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors next week. The United States’ initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people to be designated. A meeting location is 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. "President Zelenskyy and I will be meeting tomorrow, in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more. I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” added Trump.

Trump’s message sparked immediate global attention, as it marked the first public mention of a possible peace summit in Budapest involving both Washington and Moscow.