From UNIAN:
""He's paranoid": Putin will be afraid to fly to Hungary to meet with Trump, says MP
Tanya Polyakovskaya, 20.10.25
The world, but especially Ukraine, is currently awaiting a possible summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Will such a meeting actually take place, who needs it and why, and is the issue of Budapest, as the chosen host city, irritating? UNIAN spoke with Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of parliament from the Servant of the People party and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation.
- Trump and Putin agreed to prepare for their possible meeting in Budapest. In Russia, this news has even sparked talk of settling the war through secret agreements. When might this meeting take place, and what might its results be for Ukraine?
I doubt such a meeting will take place. I think it's a 50-50 chance right now. Holding it in Budapest is a big mistake, because the whole world, and especially Ukraine, associates the word "Budapest" with the Budapest Memorandum. Another meeting and "Budapest" are like Munich, for example, being associated with the Munich Plot of 1938.
This could also be a pre-election ploy on Orbán's part. He understands he could lose the election. He needs to make some kind of gesture to create the illusion that he's promoting peace and so on. This is very cynical politics.
It's also unclear where this idea even came from, because President Trump's spokesperson, if I'm not mistaken, said it was the idea of the mother of some journalist who asked the question. So, whose idea it was remains a mystery. And it's a very unfortunate one.
There's a clear principle that the previous administration adhered to, and I'd very much like Trump to adhere to it: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. That is, if you're holding a summit and discussing an issue, or, especially, making any decisions related to Ukraine, you should at least invite the Ukrainian president. Because resolving Ukrainian issues behind Ukraine's back is very reminiscent of the Munich Agreement.
It's also important to invite European leaders. They have the right; they're helping no less than the United States is now. And this is also a matter of European security. Such a meeting cannot be held without their participation.
Regarding Budapest, I can't imagine Putin flying through their airspace, because he's a war criminal and a terrorist. He and his plane could be grounded and arrested—there are all grounds for that. For example, there's an arrest warrant from the International Court.
Imagine Putin's plane flying through the airspace of a country that's a member of the International Criminal Court and a party to the Rome Statute. They should arrest him.
Frankly, I think Putin would be afraid to fly to Hungary at all because he's paranoid, he's afraid of assassination attempts, and so on. He's afraid to fly through European airspace. He's afraid because, despite all the problems, Hungary remains a European democracy. A dictator can fly to a totalitarian country, like China or North Korea, and not be afraid. He can fly to a US military base because he knows the Americans can guarantee his safety there. But I doubt he'd dare fly to Budapest.
Moreover, it's not that simple: first, Secretary of State Rubio and Lavrov need to meet. I think Trump doesn't want a repeat of the Alaska fiasco. And if, after this meeting between Lavrov and Rubio, Trump isn't confident that Putin is truly ready for serious negotiations, he might cancel the summit. Because he doesn't want to embarrass himself a second time. And the fact is that Putin is not ready, and apparently never will be, for serious negotiations.
- Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine and its allies have come closer to a possible end to the war with Russia, primarily thanks to Trump's efforts. Zelenskyy noted that this doesn't mean the war will definitely end, but Trump, he said, "has achieved much in the Middle East, and on this wave, he wants to end Russia's war against Ukraine." Specifically, given Trump's fondness for portraying himself as a peacemaker and a strong leader, how do you assess these chances now, and when might the war in Ukraine end, and how?
The war in Ukraine can only end when Putin is no longer in power. As long as he remains in power, he has no interest in ending the war. He is paranoidly fixated on the destruction of Ukraine. For him, this is the most important question of his political and, possibly, physical survival. That's how he sees it; that's his opinion.
The only thing that can stop the war is frantic pressure on Putin, when he has no other choice. And here a lot depends on America. But the main thing here is political will, the desire to do it. This is what Trump promised. One just needs to be consistent and keep promises. If you promised, you said, "Here's a proposal: an unconditional ceasefire along the front line. And if anyone doesn't agree, then I will impose decisive sanctions." Ukraine agreed, Russia disagreed several times.
Where are the sanctions, where are the weapons for Ukraine? First, this question arises: Trump starts saying he will or might provide Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. You publicly declare this to the whole world—then you have to somehow implement it. And then he says, "We need them ourselves." This is not consistent, this is not serious.
Trump can do it, he can bring peace closer, but to do this, he needs to be consistent and follow through on his promises...
Now, perhaps, we need to rely more on the Europeans, because they feel the threat posed by Russia firsthand. It's been that way in history. During World War I and World War II, the war was already raging in Europe, and the United States tried to maintain neutrality to the last. But then, under pressure of circumstances, they were forced to intervene and punish the aggressor."
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Merezhko was of course right about the meeting in Budapest - it was canceled.
