Lavrov, Rubio discuss preparations for Putin-Trump summit
4 Min Read
Lavrov and Rubio discuss preparations for the upcoming Putin–Trump summit as questions remain over Zelensky’s participation in the Budapest meeting.
-
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during his meeting with Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs at Zinaida Morozova's Mansion in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, October 16, 2025 (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call on Monday to discuss preparations for the anticipated summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, both sides confirmed.
According to US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio “emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war.”
The Kremlin confirmed the discussion but offered no new details on the meeting’s agenda. It remains unclear whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be invited to participate, despite his public statements expressing readiness to attend.
“If I am invited to Budapest, if it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three or, as it's called, shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me, then in one format or another, we will agree,” Zelensky told reporters on Monday.
Moscow previously stated that it had “no details” regarding Zelensky’s participation.
Stalled diplomacy and renewed talks
Diplomatic efforts to end the three-and-a-half-year war have largely stalled since Trump and Putin held peace talks in Alaska in August. The two leaders announced last week that they would meet again in Budapest for a second round of negotiations.
Zelensky, who was excluded from the Alaska talks, criticized the choice of Hungary as a venue, calling it symbolically troubling given Ukraine’s history with the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the agreement under which Kiev surrendered its nuclear arsenal in exchange for Western security assurances.
“Another ‘Budapest’ scenario wouldn’t be positive either,” Zelensky said, warning against what he described as a repeat of broken promises.
Zelensky eyeing Patriots
Ukraine is preparing to finalize a contract to obtain 25 US-made Patriot air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday, in what would mark one of Kiev's largest defense procurement deals since the start of the war.
Speaking to reporters, Zelensky said deliveries would be staggered over several years and that Kiev hoped to secure priority from certain European partners in the production queue. Patriots, he noted, remain the most effective means of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, which travel several times faster than the speed of sound.
Zelensky's latest visit to the White House unfolded amid signs of shifting US priorities. During his meeting with President Donald Trump, the Ukrainian leader pressed for additional long-range systems, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, but was told it was "too early" for such transfers. Trump said that his administration's main goal was to end the conflict through diplomacy, saying, "Hopefully they won't need it. Hopefully we'll be able to get the war over with without thinking about Tomahawks."
Budapest prospects
The two leaders' encounter came just days after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to hold a summit in Budapest, with Hungary offering to host and guarantee Putin's safety despite the International Criminal Court warrant against him. Zelensky said he was ready to travel to the Hungarian capital if a trilateral format or "shuttle diplomacy" arrangement were proposed. "If we really want to have just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy… How can there be some deals without us about us?" he had earlier told NBC.
Zelensky's comments on Sunday reflected a guarded sense of optimism after what was widely reported as a tense meeting at the White House. "After many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with (Trump) and his team, his message, in my view, is positive, that we stand where we stand on the front line," he said.
Trump, who has recently touted his ability to broker a settlement with Moscow, publicly called for a ceasefire along the current frontlines following the meeting. Zelensky appeared to align with that position, saying a pause in fighting could serve as a foundation for further negotiations, though he reiterated that any agreement must guarantee Ukraine's security.
