Orbán and Putin hold phone call ahead of Trump summit
Photo: Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Russian president Vladimir Putin had a phone call. The main topic was the upcoming meeting with US leader Donald Trump, reports Kommersant, citing a Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.
“We will soon announce the phone call with Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán. Orbán himself also said that he intended to speak with Putin. This phone call took place,” Peskov said.
According to him, Hungary was chosen as the venue for the Trump-Putin summit because of its allegedly sovereign stance.
“Such decisions are made mutually. In this case, Hungary, as a NATO and EU country, takes a special position in terms of sovereignty and defending its own interests. This commands respect,” the Kremlin spokesman added.
Preparation for the Trump-Putin meeting
Peskov also confirmed that the announced meeting “may take place within two weeks or a little later.” Earlier, the US president had mentioned a similar timeframe.
“There is a common understanding that there is no need to postpone it indefinitely,” he noted.
According to him, there are many points regarding the organization of the upcoming summit to work out. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will have phone calls and meetings.
Orbán confirmed the conversation
On Facebook, the Hungarian prime minister briefly reported on the phone call.
“The talks with the President of Russia took place. Preparation (for the meeting with Trump – ed.) is in full swing,” Orbán wrote.
Background
On October 16, US President Donald Trump, after a talk with Putin, announced a meeting with the Russian leader. Their summit is expected to take place in Budapest within the next two weeks.
The Russian side has also announced preparations for the Trump-Putin meeting. It will be the second meeting between Trump and Putin since the start of his second term in January this year.
The meeting between Putin and Trump is to take place after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to Washington. Today, the Ukrainian and US leaders will hold a meeting at the White House.
