Trump: Summit with Putin in Budapest still possible
8 November 20:11
U.S. President Donald Trump has admitted the possibility of meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Budapest, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“There is always a chance,” he told reporters during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Washington. Trump said he would discuss the prospects for such a meeting with the Hungarian prime minister.
The American president added that the summit with Putin in Budapest was canceled earlier because of Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine.
“The main dispute is that they ( the Russian side) don’t want to stop,” Trump explained, adding that he believes Moscow will eventually stop fighting.
The Hungarian Prime Minister, in turn, criticized the EU’s approach to resolving the situation.
“The only governments that are in favor of peace are the United States and little Hungary. The rest of them prefer to continue the war,” Orban said, adding that the belief in Ukraine’s victory is “a misunderstanding of the situation.” When asked by Trump about the possibility of Ukraine’s success, Orban responded with a smile: “You know, a miracle can happen.”
Earlier, Trump canceled plans to meet with Putin in Budapest. According to Reuters sources, the talks were disrupted after it became clear that the Russian side was not ready to make concessions. A European diplomat familiar with the situation said that “the Russians want too much.” Another source added that the Kremlin’s position has not changed since the meeting in Anchorage – Moscow still refuses to stop fighting along the front line.
Also, according to the agency, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after a telephone conversation with Sergey Lavrov, concluded that further contacts with Moscow were futile and recommended that Trump postpone the summit with Putin.
