Will Putin Fly Over Latvia? The Head of Russia is Set to Meet Trump in Budapest 0 23

They agreed on this during their first phone call on August 15, when the leaders of the two countries met in Alaska.

The phone call, which was not announced in advance, took place a day before Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, where the supply of Tomahawk missiles is expected to be discussed.

The American publication Axios was the first to report on the planned conversation, citing an informed source. Less than an hour after the publication, a source in the White House told CBS that the conversation between the two presidents had already begun.

"I am currently speaking with President Putin. The conversation is ongoing, a long conversation, and I will report on its content, as will President Putin, when it concludes," Trump wrote on his social media platform TruthSocial.

Following the conversation, which lasted more than two hours, Trump stated that he had agreed with Putin on a new in-person meeting. This time it will take place in the territory of the European Union, in Hungary.

The personal meeting of the presidents will occur after high-level Russian and American delegations meet next week, Trump explained. The U.S. will be represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump described the conversation as very productive and added that, in his opinion, a "significant success" was achieved as a result.

Full version of Donald Trump's statement following the phone conversation with Vladimir Putin:

"I just finished my phone conversation with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and it was very productive. President Putin congratulated me and the United States on a great achievement — establishing peace in the Middle East, which, according to him, has been dreamed of for centuries. I truly believe that success in the Middle East will help in our negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

President Putin thanked First Lady Melania for her involvement in protecting children. He was very grateful and said that this would continue in the future. We also spent a lot of time discussing trade issues between Russia and the United States after the war with Ukraine ends. At the conclusion of the phone call, we agreed that high-level meetings of our advisors would take place next week. The first meetings in the United States will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with several others who will be appointed later. The location of the meeting will be determined later.

Then President Putin and I will meet at an agreed location — in Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can put an end to this "disgraceful" war between Russia and Ukraine. Tomorrow I will meet with President Zelensky in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin and much more. I believe significant progress was made during today's phone conversation.