Hungary insists on Budapest as venue for US-Russia peace summit

GENEVA

Hungary's foreign minister said Wednesday that a planned US-Russia peace summit in the capital Budapest remains on track, emphasizing that preparations are continuing despite international skepticism.

"Bad news for the pro-war lobby and good news for those who want peace," Peter Szijjarto wrote on the US social media company X’s platform after meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"After my meeting with Rubio, it’s clear that the US has not given up on holding the Budapest Peace Summit," he said. "Preparations are ongoing, and the only question is timing, not intention.”

A White House official said earlier this week that plans for a second summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were put on hold after a "productive" call between Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

On Oct. 16, following a call with Putin, Trump announced plans to meet the Russian president in Hungary within two weeks.

Trump said Wednesday, however, that he canceled the summit because "it didn’t feel right" to him.

"We canceled the meeting with President Putin, it didn't feel right to me," Trump told reporters at the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

"It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get, so I canceled it. But we’ll do it in the future," he added.

Trump also expressed his frustration over the lack of progress in the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.

"In terms of honesty, the only thing I can say is, every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don't go anywhere. They just don't go anywhere," he said.