“The Keys to Ending the War”: Expert Explains Why Trump and Putin Will Meet Specifically in Hungary

Political analyst Ruslan Bortnik explained that a meeting between Trump and Putin in Hungary is no coincidence — it relates to Ukraine’s EU accession, the failure of the Budapest Memorandum, and the issue of new security guarantees, Politeka reports.

He shared this in his blog.

According to the expert, Budapest is a very symbolic location for a meeting between the Presidents of the U.S. and Russia. Prime Minister Orbán simultaneously supports both Trump and Putin. Bortnik also notes that parliamentary elections will be held in Hungary in April 2026, and currently there is an intense struggle between the ruling Fidesz party and the opposition TISZA party. Trump and Putin, who are interested in Fidesz’s victory, will give Orbán a serious political boost through their meeting.

“But this isn’t just an attempt to give Orbán a political bonus. There are deeper layers here. Hungary holds some very important cards — its own keys to ending the war. These include the transit of Russian oil and gas, which is a current point of contention between Ukraine and Hungary. Another is the issue of Ukraine's EU accession, which Hungary is currently blocking,” Bortnik points out.

Ukraine’s EU accession, he emphasizes, could become a key element in balancing interests and a crucial part of a compensation package for Ukraine — since it would make it easier for political elites to present any agreements with Russia to the public. Therefore, the expert states, EU membership is a vital and, notably, realistic form of compensation for Ukraine, especially since the Kremlin is not opposed to it — something that has been repeatedly stated.

“And you know, everything began with Hungary — and it should end with Hungary. Ukraine’s current geopolitical position was shaped by the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, when Ukraine gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for assurances of support from the guarantor states. After that, Ukraine’s geopolitical status was significantly reduced — from a sovereign, independent, and influential state to a buffer zone between East and West, between key global centers. The mistake of the Budapest Memorandum — when Ukraine relinquished nuclear weapons without receiving real security guarantees, at least along the Swiss or Austrian model — must be corrected. And perhaps it will be corrected in Budapest, by granting Ukraine a new framework of security guarantees,” Bortnik concludes.

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