Budapest Summit: Russia & US to discuss Ukraine (Now on hold)

After much bloviating by Trump about sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, that could strike deep into Russia, Trump appears for now to have decided not to send them.

The Budapest correspondent of the Russian news agency TASS asked the president of the Hungarian Peace Community (Magyar Békekör) what he thought about the planned American-Russian summit in Budapest. [The proposed meeting between the two leaders in Budapest has been reportedly pushed to an unspecified later date.] 

Endre Simó replied to Ivan Lebegyev with the following:

“By choosing Budapest as the venue for the planned meeting with Russian President Putin, US President Trump expressed that he is closer to Hungarian peace policy than the pro-war policy of the European Union and NATO’s European wing. The choice of Budapest gives hope to all those who not only want to avoid war with Russia, but also want a world order based on cooperation instead of confrontation. 

In the seventies of the last century, Hungary launched the Helsinki process leading to the European security and cooperation system. Even today, Hungarian diplomacy can do a good job of creating a new collective security and cooperation system that includes both Europe and Asia. I don’t know whether the government of Viktor Orbán will receive a mandate from the two presidents to start the Helsinki process appropriate to today’s conditions, to prepare a conference aimed at a comprehensive compromise, but it is certain that Hungary will gain enormous encouragement from the summit to continue on the path of peace policy and dare to confront the pro-war forces. 

The Western press is now presenting it as if Putin is ready to give up the goals of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine in exchange for territory. I believe that this is a mistake, because Russia will not give up its security for the sake of anyone. Putin is negotiating with Trump not because he wants peace in Ukraine at all costs, but so that Russia can live with equal rights and mutual security with the West. 

I don’t expect miracles from the top of Budapest. Rather, I believe that by improving bilateral economic and military relations, another step will be taken to renew the Helsinki Process, which will also include the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.”