Trump and Putin agree on a series of high-level meetings to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump announced his agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, October 16, to hold a series of meetings between officials from both countries, followed by a bilateral summit in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, as part of efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
This call came during a lengthy phone conversation that lasted more than two hours, which White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt described as "good and productive".
In a post on his "Truth Social" platform, Trump detailed the agreement, saying: "At the end of the call, we agreed to hold a meeting for our senior advisors next week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the initial meetings for the United States, along with several other figures, and the location of the meeting will be determined later".
Trump added: "President Putin and I will meet at an agreed location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can end this disgraceful war between Russia and Ukraine".
The two sides also discussed trade relations between the two countries after the end of the war in Ukraine, according to the U.S. President.
Trump praised the call, describing it as "very productive," and revealed that he received Putin's congratulations regarding peace in the Middle East, saying: "President Putin congratulated me and the United States on achieving peace in the Middle East, which is something we have long dreamed of for centuries, as he said. I believe this success in the Middle East will contribute to our negotiations to end the war with Russia and Ukraine".
Trump added: "President Putin thanked First Lady Melania for her efforts in caring for children and expressed his deep appreciation, emphasizing that this cooperation will continue".
On another note, the U.S. President indicated that he will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday in the Oval Office, where they will discuss his call with Putin "and many other matters," expressing his belief that the phone call "made significant progress".
