Trump will meet with Putin to discuss options to end the conflict in Ukraine

U.S. President Trump said on Thursday he plans to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, to discuss possible ways to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. At the same time, he hinted that the United States would not decide whether to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Trump posted on the social platform Truth Social that the phone call with Putin was "very productive" and that the two sides agreed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would lead a delegation to hold high-level talks next week, after which the two leaders would meet face-to-face in Budapest. The call came on the eve of Trump's preparations for talks with Ukraine President Zelensky at the White House.
The call further reduced the possibility of Ukraine acquiring the Tomahawk missile. The missile has a range of more than 1000 miles and, if provided to Ukraine, would represent a major upgrade of U.S. aid to Ukraine. In an exchange with reporters, Trump said that the Tomahawk missile is "very critical and very expensive" and that the United States itself needs to keep a certain number and "cannot allow national resources to be exhausted."
According to reports, the United States has provided intelligence to Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes on energy infrastructure in Russia, allowing Kiev to attack refineries, pipelines, power stations and other targets.
Putin warned during the phone call that if the United States provides Ukraine with a "tomahawk", it will "seriously damage relations between the two countries."
Zelensky arrived in Washington that day and met with representatives of U.S. defense companies to discuss advanced weapons that can "significantly enhance defense capabilities." He posted on social media, comparing Trump's efforts to mediate the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire with the situation in Russia and Ukraine, saying that "Moscow is eager to resume dialogue after hearing the news of the 'Tomahawk."
Trump said he planned to brief Putin on the results of the phone call when he met with Zelensky on Friday. He added that he hoped to "end this conflict as soon as possible" and that "I am doing this to save lives and to help Europe." Hungarian Prime Minister Orban later confirmed that Budapest had begun preparations for the "US-Russia Peace Summit."
Trump said he asked Putin during the phone call "if he would mind the United States giving your opponent thousands of missiles" and added: "Do you think he would say 'Great, please send them over?" Trump said Putin and Zelensky "don't get along very well" so he may need to arrange "separate but equal" meetings with the two.