President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he would meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Budapest, Hungary, to bring an end to the "inglorious" war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump had earlier on Thursday revealed that he would speak with Putin ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday.
"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Why It Matters
Trump first confirmed the call in a post on Truth Social Thursday: "I am speaking to President Putin now. The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The call precedes a meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House on Friday, during which the two world leaders will discuss whether Ukraine should receive long-range Tomahawk missiles, which would mark a significant escalation in the conflict with Russia.
Trump last week said he had given Putin an ultimatum to either hold serious peace talks with Ukraine or the U.S. president would consider giving Ukraine the missiles, which Zelensky has long petitioned to obtain.
Russian officials, including former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, have warned that should Ukraine obtain the Tomahawk missiles, it would "end badly for everyone" and destroy relations between Washington and Moscow.
What To Know
Trump on Thursday afternoon provided a readout of his call with Putin, saying that they had a "very productive" discussion, during which Putin congratulated Trump on securing a deal between Israel and Gaza. Trump wrote that he believed his success in the Middle East could help him in his negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The two leaders then discussed other related issues, such as trade—once the war was over—and First Lady Melania Trump's work to reunite children and parents separated during the war, which occurred due to months of back-channel discussions between the first lady and Trump.
"At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "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."
Then the two leaders agreed to meet in Budapest to try and find a clear end to the conflict. However, Trump will first meet with Zelensky, during which time he'll discuss what "great progress" was made during his call with Putin "and much more."
Trump believes that he can wrangle a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has languished for months as peace talks continue to see little progress and an escalation between the two sides.
Overnight Wednesday, Zelensky wrote on X that Russia had launched another strike on the energy and civilian infrastructure,
"Russia launched more than 300 attack drones and 37 missiles, a significant number of them ballistic, against Ukraine," Zelesnky wrote, adding that Russia has launched strikes against energy infrastructure "every single day" of autumn so far.
He urged the United States and Europe to make "strong decisions" and use "strength" to help end the war.
"Now there is an important momentum toward peace in the Middle East. In Europe, this is also possible," Zelensky wrote. "That is exactly what I will be discussing today and tomorrow in Washington."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, in part: "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."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday wrote on X: "We have already prepared our part of the homework ahead of the meeting with President Trump – both the military component and the economic one. Every detail is ready. The agenda of our meeting with the President of the United States is very substantive, and I thank everyone who is helping. This can truly bring the war closer to an end – it is the United States that can wield this kind of global influence, and we are doing everything to ensure that others around the world stand on our side in this effort."
Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrei Kelin, during an interview published Thursday, said: "The Tomahawk missiles themselves, if provided to the Ukrainians, will not change the situation on the battlefield. But we will have to react very seriously to this escalation & to the involvement of the US military in launching them."
What Happens Next
Trump will meet with Zelensky in the White House on Friday, after which high-level negotiators will meet next week to thrash out more details of a peace deal. Presidents Trump and Putin will then meet in Budapest, and Trump will attempt to secure either a deal or at least a meeting between Putin and Zelensky to meet face-to-face.
Update 10/16/25, 1:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and comment.
