Budapest is the bridge to peace in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Budapest to negotiate an end to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

After more than three and a half years of war, this is a historic moment. Finally, a window for serious diplomacy is opening again.

This opportunity does not come by chance. It is the result of a global peace momentum that Trump is driving forward with remarkable energy.

Budapest was deliberately chosen. The Russian war of aggression is taking place in Europe, and its effects are directly affecting our continent. Therefore, the peace solution must be worked out here as well.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government can rightly be proud that the talks are taking place in Hungary. Hungary is creating the practical conditions for all sides to come to the table. This is pragmatic diplomacy.

What we are currently experiencing goes far beyond Europe. Trump has worked with incredible energy in recent weeks to bring peace to the world. The Sharm el-Sheikh summit was the turning point.

The peace declaration for Gaza was signed there, together with Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Arab countries. Trump doesn't just talk, he acts and delivers results.

The release of the hostages, the ceasefire, and the start of reconstruction. All of this was unthinkable just a few weeks ago. The geopolitical situation has fundamentally changed as a result.

Russia and Iran, the two leading actors behind many regional conflicts, have been weakened by the peace in the Middle East and exposed as troublemakers.

Trump is now consistently exploiting this changed constellation for Europe. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy now speaks of strong momentum for peace in the world.

The alternative to negotiations is not victory, but the continuation of a war that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Sanctions and isolation have not brought Russia to its knees, but the economic situation in Russia is anything but positive.

This war produces no winners, only losers on both sides. Budapest offers the opportunity for a peace settlement that will enable both sides to break this impasse.

This will require compromises that not everyone will like. But the task of politics is to find solutions, not to manage conflicts.

Trump has proven in the Middle East that with determination, breakthroughs can be achieved. History will judge us by whether we had the courage to create peace when the opportunity presented itself.

Sebastian Kurz is the former chancellor of Austria.