Budapest is the bridge to peace in Ukraine

By&nbspSebastian Kurz, erstwhile chancellor of Austria

Published on 20/10/2025 - 7:00 GMT+2

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet successful Budapest to discuss an extremity to nan Russian warfare of aggression against Ukraine.

After much than 3 and a half years of war, this is simply a historical moment. Finally, a model for superior diplomacy is opening again.

This opportunity does not travel by chance. It is nan consequence of a world bid momentum that Trump is driving guardant pinch singular energy.

Budapest was deliberately chosen. The Russian warfare of aggression is taking spot successful Europe, and its effects are straight affecting our continent. Therefore, nan bid solution must beryllium worked retired present arsenic well.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his authorities tin rightly beryllium proud that nan talks are taking spot successful Hungary. Hungary is creating nan applicable conditions for each sides to travel to nan table. This is pragmatic diplomacy.

What we are presently experiencing goes acold beyond Europe. Trump has worked pinch unthinkable power successful caller weeks to bring bid to nan world. The Sharm el-Sheikh acme was nan turning point.

The bid declaration for Gaza was signed there, together pinch Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Arab countries. Trump doesn't conscionable talk, he acts and delivers results.

The merchandise of nan hostages, nan ceasefire, and nan commencement of reconstruction. All of this was unthinkable conscionable a fewer weeks ago. The geopolitical business has fundamentally changed arsenic a result.

Russia and Iran, nan 2 starring actors down galore location conflicts, person been weakened by nan bid successful nan Middle East and exposed arsenic troublemakers.

Trump is now consistently exploiting this changed constellation for Europe. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy now speaks of beardown momentum for bid successful nan world.

The replacement to negotiations is not victory, but nan continuation of a warfare that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Sanctions and isolation person not brought Russia to its knees, but nan economical business successful Russia is thing but positive.

This warfare produces nary winners, only losers connected some sides. Budapest offers nan opportunity for a bid colony that will alteration some sides to break this impasse.

This will require compromises that not everyone will like. But nan task of authorities is to find solutions, not to negociate conflicts.

Trump has proven successful nan Middle East that pinch determination, breakthroughs tin beryllium achieved. History will judge america by whether we had nan courageousness to create bid erstwhile nan opportunity presented itself.

Sebastian Kurz is nan erstwhile chancellor of Austria.