Hungary has formally begun preparations to host an upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, marking a dramatic new chapter in European diplomacy and signaling Budapest’s emergence as an unlikely center for high-stakes peace negotiations.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on October 16 that discussions were underway with the Kremlin regarding logistical and security arrangements for the meeting, which is expected to focus primarily on the war in Ukraine and the broader state of US-Russia relations.

In a Facebook post on October 17, Szijjarto revealed that he had spoken by phone with Yury Ushakov, Putin’s chief foreign policy aide, and confirmed that “preparations are in full swing.” The statement follows an announcement by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who said that he and Putin had held a phone conversation on October 17, further cementing Budapest’s role as an active facilitator of the long-anticipated summit.

According to Szijjarto, Hungary is prepared to guarantee the security of both delegations and ensure that President Putin’s travel to and from Budapest remains “unimpeded and dignified.” He added that the government views the meeting as an opportunity to contribute to global peace efforts, a message that echoes Orban’s recent description of Hungary as an “island of peace” in a turbulent international environment.

The choice of Budapest as the host city for the Putin-Trump summit has drawn international attention and curiosity. Hungary, a NATO and EU member state, has long charted an independent foreign policy under Orban, maintaining open channels with Moscow even as the European Union has largely severed ties over the Ukraine conflict.

Orban’s government has........

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