US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had a “very productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which they made “great progress” on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The two leaders agreed that their advisers would meet next week and then meet in person in Budapest to discuss the possibility of peace.

US President Donald Trump said he had a"very productive" phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, noting"great progress" in ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The US president reported on the conversation on the Truth Social platform.

The US president said Vladimir Putin congratulated him on"the great achievement of peace in the Middle East," which he called "a dream that has been waiting to be realized for centuries." Donald Trump added that he and the Russian president had agreed to another high-level advisory meeting, which will be led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio next week.

We will then meet with President Putin at a mutually agreed upon location in Budapest to see if we can end this inglorious war between Russia and Ukraine

– wrote Donald Trump on his social media page.

According to the post, the US president will also discuss his conversation with Putin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, adding that"many other important issues will also be on the agenda."

Donald Trump also reported that Vladimir Putin thanked his wife, Melania Trump, for her work on behalf of children and “appreciated that this work will continue.” The first lady had previously written a letter to the Russian president, which Donald Trump personally delivered during a meeting in Alaska in August, expressing concern about the children missing from Ukraine.

At the end of the conversation, the two leaders also discussed the possibilities of post-war US-Russian trade relations, indicating that the reopening of diplomatic channels is also on the agenda.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote on his community page on Thursday evening: