Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump held a phone call on Thursday, addressing the ongoing Ukraine conflict, potential delivery of US Tomahawk cruise missiles, and plans for an upcoming summit. Trump described the conversation as “very productive,” signaling optimism about future meetings, and announced intentions to hold an in-person meeting with Putin in Hungary.
Putin, on the other hand, underscored the necessity of a peaceful political resolution to the conflict, while highlighting Russia’s strategic advantage on the battlefield. The leaders also discussed the broader geopolitical context, including stalled peace talks and the implications of military escalation.
Although the potential delivery of Tomahawks would “not change the situation on the battlefield,” it would “severely undermine the prospects of a peaceful settlement,” as well as bilateral US-Russia relations, Putin said, according to Ushakov. The cruise missiles have a range of up to 2,500km (1,550 miles) and could reach Moscow and other cities deep inside Russia.
Ushakov said the sides would immediately begin arranging the next Putin-Trump summit, with Budapest as a possible location. Preparations would include a phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X on Thursday that he had also spoken to Trump and that preparations for the summit were underway.
Although the rare in-person Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska in August did not produce major breakthroughs, the leaders at the time described it as an important step toward peace between Russia and Ukraine.