The telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin   lasted more than two hours, with the White House describing it as good and productive.

The two leaders agreed to convene a meeting of senior advisers next week, which could lead to a new direct Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest.

"I just finished my phone call with President Putin. It was extremely productive," Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.

He added that President Putin thanked the first lady, Melania, for her participation in programs involving children.

During the conversation, the two leaders discussed at length trade between Russia and the United States after the end of the war in Ukraine , and agreed that high-level negotiations would begin under the leadership of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The location of the initial meeting has not yet been determined.

Trump said that at the end of the conversation, we agreed to have a meeting of our senior advisers next week, which will be followed by a meeting between myself and President Putin at a location that has already been agreed upon: Budapest, Hungary.

I have just concluded my telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, and it was a very productive one. President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of...

— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 16, 2025

White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt told reporters that President Trump believes there is still a possibility of bringing Putin and Zelensky to the same table.

She confirmed that the Russian president had committed to sitting down with him for further talks and added that Trump would try to advance the peace process and that details of the upcoming meeting between the two leaders would be announced in the coming days.

Nothing for Tomahawks

Putin warned Trump that sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would undermine the peace process and seriously damage Russia-United States relations, according to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov.

According to him, Putin noted that the Russian military retains full strategic initiative along the entire front line and accused Ukraine of striking energy infrastructure. He reiterated that the possible deployment of Tomahawk missiles would not change the situation on the ground, but would jeopardize any possibility of dialogue.

For his part, the Russian president's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, described the communication between Trump and Putin as positive and productive, emphasizing that the next steps in Moscow-Washington relations were clearly defined.

Meeting with Zelensky

Today's conversation is the longest since the start of the American president's second term and comes at a critical juncture: on the eve of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House, where the deployment of Tomahawk missiles and the prospect of a new American-brokered peace initiative will be discussed.

Russia launched a new massive attack at dawn on Thursday, launching more than 300 drones and 37 missiles against Ukrainian energy and industrial targets. Kiev responded by attacking a refinery in the Saratov region.

Russian attacks on electricity and gas facilities continue for a fourth consecutive winter, causing widespread damage and shortages across the country.

At the same time, Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to stop buying Russian oil, while his administration intends to pressure Beijing to follow suit.

Although India has not officially confirmed the commitment, Reuters sources said some Indian refiners are preparing for a gradual reduction in Russian oil imports.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Washington will impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression if there is no progress towards ending the war.

The volatile Trump-Putin relationship

The Trump-Putin relationship has gone through many phases.

At the start of his second term, Trump said Ukraine should consider giving up some territory to make peace, a position that Kiev has vehemently rejected.

The two men met privately in Alaska on August 15. However, no progress was made, with Trump – gradually – expressing his annoyance at Putin's stance.

Trump's stance towards Putin hardened, and last month he appeared to change course, saying that Ukraine can regain all of its territory , within the borders as they were when the war began.

Zelensky called the statement a"major shift", while Moscow attributed the change to recent communication between the two leaders.

As BBC editor Paul Kirby noted, from the Russian perspective, Trump is the only Western leader willing to discuss the roots of the war, but Moscow is now concerned that the US president is seriously considering sending missiles that can reach the Russian capital.

The Putin-Trump conversation took place at a time when NATO is facing repeated airspace violations by Russian aircraft.

Orban: I spoke with Trump about the preparation of the summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that he spoke by phone with Donald Trump in preparation for the US-Russia summit scheduled to take place in Budapest.

Preparations for the US-Russia peace summit are underway, Orbán said, without revealing further details.