Kremlin revealed: Why Budapest?

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “Orbán has rather warm relations with President Trump and very constructive relations with President Putin.”

He said this “greatly contributed to the understanding reached during the last phone conversation.”

He was referring to last week’s phone call between Trump and Putin, during which they agreed to meet in Budapest. Orbán, a nationalist and conservative, has repeatedly criticized the West’s support for Ukraine, which borders his country.

Earlier this year, he stated that Russia had already won the war in Ukraine. Some European governments supporting Kyiv have said it is inappropriate to host Putin at a summit in a European Union member state.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the move on Monday as “uncomfortable.” Peskov said preparations for the summit are just beginning and that the goal will be to advance a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine and to develop relations between Russia and the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on Monday that he would be ready to join the Trump–Putin summit in Hungary if invited.

“If I am invited to Budapest, if it’s an invitation in a format where the three of us meet — or what they call shuttle diplomacy, where Trump meets Putin and then meets me — then, in one format or another, we will reach an agreement,” he said.

He criticized Hungary’s selection as the meeting site, noting the country’s strained relations with Kyiv.

“I don’t believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine at every step can do anything positive for Ukrainians or offer even a balanced contribution,” Zelensky said, referring to Orbán.