Mixed reactions in Hungary to news of upcoming Trump-Putin summit

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had already indicated on Thursday that his country is ready to host a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a bid to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine.

In an interview with the television news channel Hír TV, Orbán said that the decision was the result of a consistent, three-year policy.

"In politics, many skills are needed, but the most important in big matters are perseverance and humility," he said.

According to Orbán, "since Donald Trump's return, a global network of state leaders seeking peaceful solutions in all armed conflicts has been forming around him. These people gather around the American president because of his strength and capability. Hungary is also part of this network."

Foreign Minister Péter Szíjjártó said in a post on Facebook that "since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Hungary has consistently stood for the cause of peace. It is clear that this war cannot be resolved on the battlefield; peace can only be achieved through negotiations."

"Therefore, it is good news that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are in constant contact and even better news that they will soon meet in person. Hungary, as an island of peace, is ready to host the summit, providing all conditions for the presidents to have successful discussions so that peace can return to Europe. Late last night, I spoke by phone with both Christopher Landau, the US Deputy Secretary of State, and Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, and we have begun preparations for the summit."

Hungary's main opposition leader, Péter Magyar, said that he had proposed weeks ago that Budapest could be the venue for global negotiations, to which the parliamentary group leader of the ruling party, Máté Kocsis, responded, "Listen, Péter Magyar! Have you completely lost your mind? Do you really think that because of you, the American and Russian presidents are coming to Budapest? You really are a miserable fool!"

István Szent-Iványi, a former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and MEP, told Euronews that "it is telling that within a week, first President Putin and then Trump warmly praised Viktor Orbán and both consider it important for him to win next year's election. So it is not surprising that they are meeting here in Budapest."

According to the politician, the big question of the meeting is whether "Ukraine will be thrown under the bus," or whether Budapest could be the venue for a fair agreement.

International lawyer Tamás Lattmann pointed out that Hungary is technically still bound by the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for another two weeks and therefore should comply with the arrest warrant issued against Vladimir Putin.

Hungary's parliament approved a bill in May that would kickstart the country's year-long withdrawal from the ICC.

The vote formalises a process started in early April by Orbán, who announced his country would quit the global court for supposedly deviating from its original purpose and becoming a "political body."

That issue has arisen before when Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Budapest in April.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant alleging they are responsible for committing "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."

Hungary refused to arrest Netanyahu, saying that it had already announced its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute.

But the prospect of a Trump-Putin meeting in Hungary has been met with scepticism in some quarters.

"The long-awaited bilateral summit in Alaska did not yield results. There is no evidence of serious, expert-level preparations for the Budapest meeting.Putin has made it clear several times that Viktor Orbán's success in the April 2026 election is a strategic interest for Russia," said Stefano Bottoni, a Hungarian-Italian historian living in Budapest.

"Trump has also made it clear that he is personally committed to Viktor Orbán's electoral success. American-transatlantic-EU interests are not at stake here."

The Hungarian daily paper Világgazdaság (VG) reported that oil prices fell further after Trump announced that he would soon meet Putin in Hungary, to discuss the possibilities of ending the war in Ukraine.