
"Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Hungary's prime minister, the Kremlin said, as officials began laying the groundwork for a possible Budapest summit meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump.The October 17 call came amid a flurry of diplomatic communications centered at finding a resolution to Russia's war on Ukraine, now in its 44th month.The call between Budapest and Moscow came a day after Putin and Trump spoke by phone --"
"Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- one of Putin's only allies in the EU -- pledged full cooperation to host any possible summit in Budapest. That appeared to be a signal that Hungary would not seek to arrest Putin on an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Hungary is a member of the court, but Orban's government has said it would move to withdraw."
"Budapest is the "essentially only place in Europe today where such a meeting can be held," Orban said ahead of the call, because what he said was Hungary's "consistent" stance for peace. European Commission spokesman Olof Gill told reporters in Brussels on October 17 that the bloc welcomes "any meeting that moves forward the process of achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.""
Leaders engaged in rapid diplomatic exchanges as officials prepared for a possible summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Budapest. The outreach occurred after a surprise phone call between Putin and Trump and as diplomatic activity intensified to seek resolution to Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its 44th month. Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington seeking new weaponry, including long-range Tomahawk missiles. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pledged full cooperation to host the meeting and indicated Hungary would not pursue an ICC arrest of Putin. The European Commission welcomed any meeting advancing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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