“Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is in Washington. Preparations to host the Peace Summit are ongoing. The date is still uncertain, but when the time comes, we will organize this meeting,” Orban wrote on Facebook.
When is the US-Russia meeting scheduled?
What did Viktor Orban say about Budapest?
What event will take place on October 23 in Hungary?
Will Putin be arrested upon arrival in Hungary?
He added that on Thursday, a Peace March will be held in Budapest, a rally organized by the government to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the Hungarian uprising. During this event, “the world will see that the choice of the Hungarian capital (as the meeting place) is not a coincidence,” Orban wrote, adding that “Budapest was chosen because it is an oasis of peace and Hungarians themselves are on the side of peace.”
On October 23, Hungarians commemorate the armed uprising of 1956 against the communist regime. Both the government and opposition leader Peter Magyar called demonstrations for the day.
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Putin will not be arrested
In an interview on Tuesday with the American station CNN, Szijjarto emphasized that Hungary is still ready to host US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. He described their meeting as “the only chance to end the war in Ukraine.”
“The government has been advocating peace for the last three and a half years,” he said, adding that Hungary would provide all necessary conditions to make the summit a success. Szijjarto also expressed hope that the meeting with his American counterpart Mark Rubio on Wednesday will bring a clearer picture of the situation surrounding the US-Russia talks.
As the head of Hungarian diplomacy said, “it was clear from the beginning that many in Europe would be disappointed by the fact that Hungary, supposedly isolated on the international arena, was asked to organize the US-Russia summit, considered the most important meeting of recent decades.”
— It is not Hungary that is isolated, but the European Union, which has played no role in solving the current security crises in the world, he said.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister also assured that Putin will not be arrested upon arrival in his country. The politician recalled the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska in August, where the Russian leader was also not captured.
In April, Hungary initiated the process of leaving the International Criminal Court (ICC), but until June 2026 it remains a party to it and is obliged to comply with its decisions. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023. The US is not a party to the Court.
On Tuesday, the White House announced that – contrary to previous announcements – it is not planning a meeting of the leaders of the US and Russia in the near future. The reason was said to be differences in positions on ending the war in Ukraine.
Last week, Trump announced after a phone call with Putin that he would meet him in Budapest within two weeks. He announced that during the meeting in Hungary, the leaders would try to “put an end to the 'infamous' war between Russia and Ukraine.”
