Kremlin says Putin-Trump summit may happen within two weeks, but there’s a lot to do first

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reportedly held a telephone conversation focused heavily on the conflict in Ukraine.

The Kremlin confirmed that President Putin informed Mr. Trump that Russia remains open to a settlement in Ukraine. During the call, Mr. Putin also very clearly set out Russia’s stance regarding the possible delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Despite confirming the discussion points, the Kremlin stated that the content of the phone call must remain out of the media.

The Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could take place within two weeks, or a little later, but that there was a great deal to be worked out before a date could be set.

Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to a hold a second summit on the war in Ukraine, provisionally in Budapest, following an August 15 meeting in Alaska that failed to produce a breakthrough.

The surprise announcement came on the eve of a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and as Washington is considering supplying Kyiv with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would need to call each other and set up a meeting to sort out many pre-summit issues.

“There are many questions, negotiating teams need to be determined, and so on and so forth. Therefore, everything will be done in stages, but, of course, the presidents’ will is there,” Peskov said.

“It (the summit) could indeed take place within two weeks or a little later. There’s a general understanding that nothing should be put off.”

Peskov said Russia remained open to a settlement to end the war in Ukraine peacefully.

Russia blames Kyiv and its European allies for the impasse in peace talks. They in turn accuse it of posing unacceptable demands and have said they do not believe that Putin is serious about seeking peace.

The Kremlin said separately that Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had spoken by phone on Friday to discuss the upcoming summit and that Orban had said Hungary was ready to host the event.

In Frankfurt, a German government spokesperson offered commentary on the interaction, stating that the call showed the Russian president “reacts to pressure” for serious peace talks. The spokesperson stressed that pressure on Mr. Putin “must be increased as a matter of urgency”, viewing the recent telephone call as a consequence of decisions based on announcements made by the U.S. side.