MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held what Moscow described as a “constructive” discussion on Monday to prepare for an upcoming presidential summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said the two diplomats discussed “possible concrete steps to implement the understandings reached during the 16 October telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.”
The planned meeting, expected to take place in Budapest, will mark the second summit between the two leaders this year. Both sides have said Lavrov and Rubio will coordinate in advance of the talks.
Budapest to host Trump-Putin summit
Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin said that Budapest had been selected as the host city for the summit, citing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s “warm relations” with both leaders.
“Orbán has quite warm relations with President Trump and very constructive relations with President Putin,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“This, of course, greatly contributed to the understanding that was worked out during the last phone call.”
Peskov added that preparations for the meeting were in their early stages, with the main agenda expected to focus on advancing a resolution to the Ukraine conflict and improving US-Russia relations.
European reactions and criticism
The announcement drew mixed reactions across Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the planned dialogue but insisted that Ukraine and European nations must be included in discussions concerning their security.
“From the moment they discuss the fate of Ukraine, the Ukrainians should be at the table. From the moment they discuss what impacts the security of Europeans, the Europeans should be at the table,” Macron told reporters after a summit of southern EU leaders in Slovenia.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was more critical, calling the venue choice “not nice” and warning against pressuring Ukraine into concessions.
“What we must not forget is that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim here, so putting the pressure on Ukraine as the victim is not the right approach,” Kallas said following a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Trump pushes for ceasefire
Tensions over the summit have grown amid reports that President Trump, during recent talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, urged Kyiv to accept territorial concessions to Russia.
Trump has publicly called for both sides to “stop fighting where they are,” but his comments have caused unease among European allies and Kyiv.
“We all support President Trump’s efforts to end the war, but Putin will only negotiate seriously if he thinks he’s losing,” Kallas said. “If aggression pays off, it serves as an invitation to use it elsewhere as well.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky said he would be willing to attend the Budapest summit if invited, adding that he was open to different formats of talks.
“If I am invited to Budapest—if it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three, or what’s called shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me—then in one format or another, we will agree,” Zelensky told reporters on Monday.
However, Zelensky criticised Hungary’s role as host, saying Prime Minister Orbán’s government “blocks Ukraine everywhere” and is “unlikely to provide a balanced contribution.”
He said Kyiv would prefer a neutral venue such as Turkiye, Switzerland, or the Vatican for a three-way meeting.
