U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday he will sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary's capital to explore pathways to end the Ukraine war, a high-stakes summit that could reshape the conflict's trajectory as Kyiv presses for more arms and Moscow holds firm.

The meeting, date yet determined, follows a recent Trump-Putin call and underscores the American leader's push for direct diplomacy amid stalled ceasefires.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a vocal Trump ally and Putin sympathizer, hailed the development as "great news for the peace-loving people of the world," pledging Budapest's readiness to host.

Trump's overture arrives days before his Friday White House huddle with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has lobbied for long-range missiles to strike deeper into Russian territory.

Zelenskyy argues such capabilities would force Moscow to negotiate seriously, a view echoed by European backers like the UK and France. Yet the Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, has signaled openness to talks but insistence on Ukraine's neutrality and territorial concessions—terms Kyiv rejects outright.

In Budapest, reactions split along familiar lines. Local resident György Szirmai welcomed the prospect, seeing Hungary as a neutral broker: "A positive development... we can play a key role." But Viktor Erbin struck a skeptical note, slamming Orbán as Putin's "lackey" and doubting Budapest's sway: "The Americans and EU need to provide military support for Ukraine to survive.

Otherwise, it would have been lost long ago."Orbán's government has bucked EU consensus, blocking arms transit to Ukraine, demanding Russia sanctions relief and clashing with Brussels over rule-of-law probes.

The Budapest venue amplifies Hungary's outlier status, with critics like Erbin questioning its mediator credentials.As the war grinds past 1,000 days—claiming over 500,000 lives per UN estimates—the summit spotlights Trump's deal-making style against Zelenskyy's resilience.