Orban calls with Putin ahead of Trump summit in Budapest
Editor's note: The story is being updated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Oct. 17, without providing details.
The phone call follows an announcement that in the coming weeks, Budapest will host a meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump as part of efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump announced the planned summit on Oct. 16, following a more than two-hour call with Putin, which took place only a day before President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House.
Orban, Hungary's illiberal leader who has opposed aid to Ukraine and maintains warm ties with Russia, called the meeting "great news for the peace-loving people of the world," adding that Budapest is "ready" to host the presidents.
The Hungarian strongman is also a close ideological ally of Trump, who endorsed him for the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2026.
The summit would be Putin's first visit to an EU country since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which marked an effective breakdown of relations between Moscow and much of Europe.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who held phone calls with top Russian officials earlier on Oct. 17, vowed that Hungary will ensure Putin's security during the negotiations.
Putin's foreign travels have been hampered by an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2023 over the deportation of Ukrainian children.
Under the ICC's Rome Statute, Hungary remains obligated to detain Putin. Although the Central European country announced its intention to leave the ICC earlier this year, the move will take effect only next June.
