Overview
- President Trump said he and Vladimir Putin agreed by phone on October 16 to hold an in-person summit in Budapest to explore ending the war in Ukraine.
- He told reporters the meeting would take place within two weeks, though no formal date or detailed logistics have been announced.
- Both governments said senior officials will convene next week to prepare, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov leading the talks.
- The Kremlin said Trump proposed Budapest as the venue, and reporting indicates Putin congratulated him on a Gaza ceasefire discussed during the call.
- Trump is scheduled to meet Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on October 17 as the United States considers supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, a step described in reporting as uncertain following the summit announcement.