The planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump in Budapest after the two leaders' conversation will be a painful blow for the European Union, writes the British newspaper The Telegraph.
„Donald Trump's announcement of a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest to discuss the situation in Ukraine will be a painful blow for Europe“, the article says.
The publication believes that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, as the host, will only strengthen his authority and significantly complicate the EU's attempts to weaken his power.
„This will be a blow to those in the EU who hoped that Orbán could be ousted by the pro-European leader of the opposition party "Tisza" Peter Magyar“, the article emphasizes.
On Thursday, Trump and Putin held their eighth and longest phone call since the beginning of the American leader's second term.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov reported that the conversation focused on the Ukrainian crisis. The American leader announced his intention to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he had spoken with Trump and that preparations for the summit had begun and were in full swing.