El Pais: Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest deepens EU divisions over Kremlin

The upcoming meeting of US President Donald Trump with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Budapest deepens divisions in the European Union over the Kremlin. This was reported by the Spanish newspaper El Pais with reference to an unnamed European diplomat.

The article says that the EU states that demanded a seat at the negotiating table are likely to be left without it.

"The venue was carefully chosen; it could be beneficial for Russia, as it deepens divisions in the EU over the Kremlin," the source said.

He added that the summit in Budapest could be a favor to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is facing another election next year.

The journalists recalled the meeting in Alaska, which did not bring any results in terms of resolving the war, but brought the Russian dictator out of isolation. The Budapest summit, which is still only hypothetical, could also be a victory for Putin.

Brussels officials say Trump-Putin meeting will be useful if it serves to make progress in ending Russia's war against Ukraine.

Privately, several interlocutors speak of a "political nightmare" for the European Union, which has isolated the Russian dictator since the start of the great war and imposed sanctions to strangle his war economy.

From the very beginning, Orbán tried to prevent this isolation by blocking sanctions, maintaining good relations with Putin, and criticizing EU foreign and defense policy whenever possible.

• On the evening of October 16, Trump had a phone conversation with Putin. They discussed Russia's war against Ukraine and agreed that would meet within two weeks in Budapest.
• Orban quickly reacted and said that Hungary is ready to act as a platform for negotiations.
• On October 17, Szijjártó said that Hungary is ready to guarantee Putin's security: he will be able to come and go freely.