Why Did Trump-Putin Meeting in Budapest Fall Apart Before It Even Began?

They say Hungarians have long been annoyed by the fact that their country's name sounds similar to the word "hunger" in English. Yet, the world is starving for peace — and the Hungarians, among others, are no exception: in light of this, the residents of Budapest might as well be willing to rename their city "the Hunger City for Peace." Here, despite the formal semi-cancellation and partial postponement, the anticipation for the Trump-Putin meeting remains strong, with preparations ongoing:

Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary:

“The world would give the eurozone brilliant economic prospects — growth not at 1%, but at 3-4%! There would be no sanctions, and we wouldn’t be spending money on the war in Ukraine! Economic cooperation with Russia would boost the development of European economies, including Hungary’s. War excludes the progress that is only possible in times of peace!”

Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary

Initially, Trump confidently and categorically scheduled the meeting, then canceled it. Suddenly, a web of contradictions and conflicts unraveled across the global media landscape: now, the Budapest peace seems as desirable as it is unattainable.

For now, it is known that, in preparation for the Budapest meeting, Sergey Lavrov and Marco Rubio held a phone call: during their conversation, the two foreign ministers found that there was, for now, nothing concrete to discuss. Trump needed a day or two to realize this, after which the meeting was postponed indefinitely — potentially for a week, or perhaps forever.

Donald Trump, President of the United States:

"I need to be certain that we will make a deal! I don’t want to waste my time. I’ve always had good relations with Putin, but I am disappointed now. Nearly every peace agreement I have made, I thought, was harder to negotiate than the Russian-Ukrainian one — but this time, things turned out differently. There is too much hatred between Zelensky and Putin!"

Donald Trump, President of the United States

Immediately, Trump shifted from conciliatory language to threats in his dealings with Moscow: sanctions were imposed on Rosneft and Lukoil and their subsidiaries, and Ukraine was promised new American weapons, of course paid for by Europe.

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia:

"This is an attempt at escalation. If these weapons strike Russian territory, the response will be very serious — even staggering. Think about it… The U.S. president seems to have decided to cancel or postpone this meeting. It looks like he’s talking about postponement. I can say that dialogue is always better than confrontation, disputes, and, especially, war."

As for the “Tomahawks,” there’s no talk of them yet: Russian testing of the “Burevestnik” missile — capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and completely nuclear itself, including its engine — demonstrated that Moscow is serious about facing challenges and has no intention of backing down. A Russian representative recently visited Washington to explain that a compromise is possible, but capitulation is not.

Kirill Dmitriev, a representative of the Russian president:

"Russia’s national interests must be respected: these sanctions and unfriendly measures will not affect our economy. They will only lead to higher fuel prices in the U.S., as oil prices have already risen and will continue to do so."

Political analysts note that Trump has unexpectedly changed: he once appeared as a champion of commerce, advocating for concessions, trust, and the power of words. Suddenly, he has become a warlike figure, for whom peace is no longer an end in itself, but a tool to serve American interests.

Lindsey Newman, a geopolitical expert at GZERO Media:

"This is not the same Trump we saw at first: now he is resolute. ‘America First’ once seemed to mean a hardline isolationism. But now, his interests span from Greenland and the Panama Canal to ending the war in Ukraine — no more isolation! The U.S. clearly aims to uphold the principle of ‘America above all,’ not only domestically but also in foreign policy. Trump wants to lead America into its golden age, and he’s willing to use force to achieve that on the world stage."

However, there is a problem — U.S. influence is waning, while those whom America seeks to dictate to are growing stronger. A world built on a foundation of boiling contradictions and hostility cannot be stable: just a week after the ceasefire in Gaza was declared, only a miracle or the mobilization of all diplomatic efforts prevented its resumption.

The Ukraine-Russia conflict is no less complicated. Clearly, nobody wants a Budapest peace — which would be just a week-long ceasefire. Trump’s storm and pressure must be met with wisdom and the ability to listen to others. Otherwise, the only result of his last term might be nine failed peace treaties, and half of the White House demolished — a fate Trump would hardly wish for his reputation.