The expected meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Budapest is putting Ukraine's Western allies in an awkward position, who are seeking to isolate the Russian leader, who is accused of war crimes, in an awkward position, reports "Reuters".
Trump said on Thursday that he could meet Putin in the Hungarian capital within two weeks, adopting a more conciliatory tone towards Moscow just as Washington appeared ready to send "Tomahawk" missiles of Kiev.
The choice of an EU and NATO member state to host the meeting has caused surprise and criticism, as it is these organizations that are leading the efforts to isolate Russia and provide military assistance to Ukraine.
Budapest also has symbolic significance - it was there in 1994 that the Budapest Memorandum was signed, with which the US, UK and Russia guaranteed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in exchange for its renunciation of nuclear weapons - a promise broken with the Russian invasion in 2022.
"This is inconvenient for both the EU and NATO. The time is extremely sensitive - when tensions over the delivery of "Tomahawk" are growing, Putin suddenly wants a meeting. But if Trump achieves something, it's probably worth it," said a senior Western European diplomat.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains warm ties with the Kremlin, assured that Putin will be able to enter and leave the country freely. Hungary has not yet formally completed the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
However, European diplomats do not expect Budapest to take action on the warrant. "No one will be surprised if the Hungarians do not arrest Putin," said an EU official.
Geopolitical analyst Botond Feledi notes that the meeting in the Hungarian capital allows Putin to "hit several targets with one blow."
"He will be holding talks on the war in Ukraine on the territory of an EU country - without the participation of European leaders. "This is a symbolic blow to Europe, much stronger than if the meeting had been in Turkey or elsewhere," said Feledi.
The meeting will also be the second without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska. Tensions between Kiev and Budapest have increased in recent months after Ukraine accused Hungary of its drones entering Ukrainian airspace, and Orban responded by saying that "Ukraine is not a sovereign state".
Analysts say Orban could use the meeting to bolster his image as a mediator and peacemaker ahead of next year's parliamentary elections, in which his Fidesz party is set to win the majority. lags behind the center-right formation "Tisa".
"The Hungarian side will try to present its role as a bridge between the two extremely different positions," commented the foreign policy advisor to the Polish president, Marcin Przydzic.
According to expert Zoltan Nowak, if even a partial agreement is reached in Budapest, it will retrospectively legitimize Orban's narrative of "peace through dialogue" and will help him in the election campaign.