Description: US President Donald Trump stated that he held a phone call with Russia’s leader, President Vladimir Putin as they agreed to meet again in two – weeks’ time in Budapest, Hungary. Trump’s announcement arrives a day before he is set to meet President Volodymir Zelenskyy in Washington as they would discuss the recent rearmament push by Ukraine to acquire Tomahawk missiles. Trump stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov have already discussed organizing the second leaders summit in Hungary, after the Alaska summit delivered limited results. Zelenskyy is expected to discuss more support and arms acquisition from the US while the subject of the Tomahawk missiles is also expected to be one of the major subjects. The meeting arrives after heavy exchanges in the past couple of months between Russia and Ukraine, which have targeted each other’s energy infrastructure and logistics supply lines.
Impact: The US renewed diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine comes on the back of a relatively successful ceasefire established in the Middle East and ratcheted tensions on the subjects of Ukraine’s rearmament and enhanced specter of sanctions on Russia. Trump and Putin’s expected meeting in Budapest would fail to yield any significant progress and would fall in line within the frame of Russian diplomatic posturing as they further impose pressure on the US, Ukraine and Europe to succumb to their demands for ending the war. Ukraine’s ambitious push for the acquisition of Tomahawk missiles would most probably falter since the weapon represents a substantial tactical addition to the country’s offensive arsenal while also risks of imploding tensions between the US and Russia on the basis of a more direct involvement from the west in the war in Ukraine.