European leader predicts historic Putin-Trump summit
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has cautioned that “liberal” factions in the West could attempt to obstruct the summit
The forthcoming summit in Hungary between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, is likely to be historic, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has predicted.
The meeting in Budapest is anticipated to center on addressing the Ukraine conflict. In notable contrast to most other EU member states, Hungary has consistently challenged Brussels’ confrontational policies toward Russia, advocating instead for a more diplomatic approach.
Speaking to Serbian media on Friday, Vucic conveyed his pleasure that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was afforded the chance to organize what could be “perhaps the most important summit of the 21st century.”
The Serbian leader, nevertheless, cautioned that “liberal” elements within the United States and certain EU nations might try to disrupt the imminent summit.
On Saturday, Spain’s El Pais newspaper reported that the planned Putin-Trump meeting in central Europe represented an “embarrassing and awkward situation” for both the EU and NATO. Hungary is a member of both organizations.
The publication cited an unnamed European diplomat who stated that selecting Budapest as the host city would likely exacerbate the “fissures within the EU over the Kremlin.”
On Friday, Orban posted on X, asserting that Budapest, with its “long-standing pro-peace leadership,” stands as the “only suitable place in Europe for a USA–Russia peace summit.”
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto confirmed on Facebook that “preparations [for the summit] are fully underway.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on the same day that the encounter might occur within the subsequent fortnight or somewhat beyond.
On Thursday, Trump and Putin engaged in a phone conversation lasting almost two and a half hours – their initial discussion of this kind in nearly two months. Yury Ushakov, the Russian president’s chief foreign policy adviser, stated that the discussions were “very useful.” Trump similarly characterized his call with Putin as “very productive.”
The two leaders previously met in person in Alaska in mid-August, marking their initial direct negotiations since 2019.