US President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday agreed to another summit to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a day before the US president spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump said he and Putin would meet soon in Budapest after a more than two-hour phone call that he described as productive. The Kremlin had no immediate comment.
The surprise development came as Zelensky headed to the White House on Friday to push for more military support, including possible long-range offensive missiles.
However, the positive tone that followed the call between the United States and Russia seemed to cast doubt on the possibility of such support in the short term.
Targeted energy systems
kyiv and Moscow have been escalating their war with massive attacks on energy infrastructure, as NATO struggles to respond to a series of Russian air raids.
The Trump-Putin meeting will follow lower-level talks between Moscow and Washington next week, Trump said. No date was provided for the leaders’ meeting. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would brief Zelensky tomorrow on Russia talks in the Oval Office.
“I think great progress was made with today’s phone conversation,” he added.
Ukraine wants to expand the scope of the attack
Ukraine has been seeking long-range American Tomahawk missiles, which would put Moscow and other major Russian cities within range of missile fire from Ukraine.
Trump, a Republican who has vowed to end the war that Russia started with its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, had expressed growing frustration with Putin over the ongoing attacks before Thursday.
Trump has said he could supply long-range weapons to Ukraine if Putin does not come to the negotiating table. In its latest bombardment, Russia launched more than 300 drones and 37 missiles against infrastructure across Ukraine in overnight strikes on Thursday, Zelensky said.
kyiv has stepped up its own attacks on Russian targets, including an oil refinery in the Saratov region on Thursday.
Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy facilities for consecutive winters as the war enters its fourth year.
In the latest warnings to Russia, Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to stop buying oil from Russia and that the administration would pressure China to do the same.
India has not confirmed any such commitment, although Reuters reported that some Indian refiners are preparing to cut imports of Russian oil, with expectations of a gradual reduction, three sources familiar with the matter said. Reuters.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Washington would “impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression” unless it ends the war.
