The Budapest Gambit: Trump and Putin Rewrite the Rules of Power — Where Is Europe?

Ricardo Martins

Trump and Putin are meeting in Budapest—a summit heavy with symbolism, where far more is at stake than the fate of Ukraine. Behind the diplomatic choreography, the global balance of power is being renegotiated. Europe watches—but can it still shape the rules of the game?

 In Budapest, history stands at a crossroads: between a fragile rebalancing of global power and the dawn of a new era of confrontation.

What is unfolding in the Hungarian capital goes far beyond routine diplomacy. It is an attempt—perhaps a desperate one—to redraw the red lines of global security, outside any multilateral framework, in a face-to-face dialogue where empires whisper and others simply listen.

Two and a half hours. That was the length of the phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on 16 October—their eighth direct contact since Trump’s return to the White House. And already, the two men are preparing to meet again, this time in Budapest, at Trump’s initiative. Putin accepted immediately.

The symbolism is striking

For the first time in years, the Russian president will set foot in a European Union and NATO capital: one that discreetly distances itself from Brussels’ orthodoxy.

For Viktor Orbán, it is a masterstroke of diplomacy: hosting two of the world’s most powerful leaders and placing Budapest at the centre of the global chessboard.
For Putin, it marks a return to Europe without surrender.
For Trump, another move in his ongoing attempt to reshape the international order on his own terms.

The coming weeks will reveal whether Trump and Putin are scripting peace—or preparing the world for its next geopolitical earthquake 

The timing is anything but coincidental. The marathon phone call took place on the eve of Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington. While Kyiv pleads for more weapons, Washington and Moscow are already preparing their next handshake.

Both sides described the conversation as “very productive”.

But behind that polite phrasing lies a perilous agenda. The central issue: the possible delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. With a range of 2,500 kilometers, such missiles would place Moscow within striking distance—a red line for the Kremlin.

Putin is expected to deploy his familiar diplomatic blend of threats and seduction: warnings of direct retaliation coupled with talk of peace. Trump, sensing another “deal of the century,” will claim he can end the conflict through “mutual understanding”.

Yet this is not merely a tactical discussion about Ukraine. The forthcoming summit could redefine the very architecture of global security.

Two scenarios are emerging

The optimistic one: a pragmatic compromise—Washington freezes Kyiv’s missile ambitions, Moscow halts its offensives, and the first step towards peace is taken. Trump would present himself as a peacemaker; Putin as the victor who forced America back to the negotiating table.

The darker scenario: the collapse of talks and a dangerous escalation—Russia deploying nuclear weapons closer to US borders or targeting American satellites.

If Budapest fails, the world could enter a far more perilous phase of confrontation.

Why Budapest? 

Because it is the only European capital both leaders can trust. Hungary has withdrawn from the International Criminal Court, freeing itself from the arrest warrant hanging over Putin.

Isolated within the European Union, Viktor Orbán needs this diplomatic spectacle ahead of next spring’s difficult elections. Hosting Trump and Putin gives him exactly what he seeks: prestige, visibility, and new leverage.

Whether this encounter ends in breakthrough or breakdown, one thing is certain: Europe is no longer the arena—it has become the audience.

The real stage is now between Washington, Moscow, and Budapest.

The coming weeks will reveal whether Trump and Putin are scripting peace—or preparing the world for its next geopolitical earthquake.

And Where is Europe in all this?

Faced with this tête-à-tête of great powers, Europe seems condemned to impotence. Trapped by its internal divisions and strategic dependence on the United States, it no longer possesses an autonomous voice in shaping global or regional security.

Yet it is precisely in moments of uncertainty that Europe’s geopolitical future is determined. If the European Union wishes to avoid becoming merely the backdrop for others’ ambitions, it must rediscover a sense of power—not only military, but also diplomatic, normative, and industrial.

The challenge for Brussels is clear: to become once again a subject of history, not merely its spectator.

 

Ricardo Martins, PhD in Sociology, specializing in International Relations and Geopolitics

 

https://journal-neo.su/2025/10/20/the-budapest-gambit-trump-and-putin-rewrite-the-rules-of-power-where-is-europe/

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA WILL BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

LYUBA LULKO
Trump’s Peace Illusion: Why Washington Still Wants Control Over Postwar Ukraine

Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, personally attended the latest Ramstein Contact Group meeting in Brussels — his first appearance — and, by all accounts, had reason to be alarmed.

 Europe Slashes Support for Ukraine

According to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, European military assistance to Ukraine fell by 57% this summer compared with the first half of the year. The aid now flows mainly through the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) — a program initially presented as NATO’s collective effort to supply weapons to Kyiv.

In reality, however, the program represents US arms deliveries financed by only five European countries — Germany, the Nordic nations, and Canada. The program’s impact has been the opposite of what Washington intended: total aid has fallen sharply, and the first tranche did not exceed $2 billion. Several European capitals have already refused to take part.

“Poland announced its withdrawal on October 15, while Spain declined from the outset, citing an inability to fund a military budget of 5% of GDP — for which President Donald Trump vowed to ‘punish Madrid,’” the report notes.

Spanish Prime Minister Pablo Sánchez responded firmly: “I made it very clear to the US President that we are committed to defense, but also to protecting our welfare.”

Europe 'Buying Its Own Ruin'

Across Europe, Washington’s strategy is increasingly viewed as one of profiting at others’ expense — developing the American military-industrial complex while draining European defense budgets. To pay for US weapons now means, as critics say, to “buy one’s own ruin.”

This perception helps explain why Brussels is pushing for the direct seizure of frozen Russian assets, even at the cost of losing the financial trust of the Global South. The growing chorus of European voices now asks: “Why are we paying for a war we cannot win?”

“Why, while supporting Ukraine, do we continue to accept Ukrainian draft dodgers fleeing mobilization?” one European commentator asked. “They vote with their feet, seeing the war as senseless suicide — why should we participate in it?”Trump’s 'Peace' and Russia’s Reality

For many Europeans, the final hope is that Donald Trump, having “stopped the war” in the Middle East, might do the same in Ukraine. Yet, unlike Israel and Palestine, Russia does not depend on Washington — politically or economically — and cannot be pressured.

For Moscow, the issue of Ukraine was never merely territorial. It has always been existential — a matter of survival once the West began pulling Kyiv into NATO and building a military base in Ochakiv.

Kremlin’s View: Trump’s Peace Means US Control

Within Russia, there is consensus that any “peace plan” offered by Trump would still preserve US control over postwar Ukraine. That, Russians believe, would betray those currently defending Russia’s future in the special military operation zone.

Although the Kremlin has repeatedly explained the proxy nature of this conflict to Trump, he continues to play the “peacemaker,” convinced that sanctions, rhetoric, and European pressure can still bend Moscow’s will.

“Trump seems obsessed with the idea that the ‘world’s gas station,’ weakened by sanctions, cannot defeat a Western bloc 25 times stronger economically,” a Russian analyst observed.Russia’s Enduring Advantage

Yet the United States may be underestimating Russia’s strategic resilience. The country maintains a strong chain of command, a wartime economy, a trained and capable army, and vast territory providing resources and logistics. Russia, the author reminds, “has the psychology of a winner.”

In contrast, Washington today is left with only rhetoric, sanctions, and an attempt to push Europe toward self-destruction by confronting Russia. These tools may save political face but will not preserve the current regime in Kyiv — much less bring about its victory.

Time Works for Russia

Time objectively favors Moscow. It strengthens Ukrainian weariness (“let it all be over soon”), fuels European fatigue with the war, and deepens the US’s own internal crisis, described as a slow-motion civil conflict.

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https://english.pravda.ru/world/164508-europe-ukraine-aid-collapse/

 

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

Ukraine and its European backers are finalizing a 12-point peace plan that would rule out territorial concessions to Russia, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The proposal would reportedly establish a “peace board” chaired by US President Donald Trump to oversee its implementation. European officials may travel to the US this week to present the roadmap to Trump, Bloomberg said.

According to the outlet, the plan includes a ceasefire along the current front lines, a prisoner swap, as well as “security guarantees” and fast-tracked EU accession for Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine would negotiate “the governance of occupied territories,” but neither Ukraine nor its European backers would recognize Russia’s new borders, Bloomberg cited its sources as saying.

Russia has listed recognition of its new borders as one of the crucial conditions for a lasting peace. Moscow has also demanded that Ukraine withdraw troops from parts of Russian territory it controls, halt mobilization, and stop receiving military aid from abroad.

Multiple US media outlets reported that Trump urged Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to cede land to Russia during their meeting at the White House on Friday. The US president later noted that Russian troops already control nearly all of the Donbass region claimed by Ukraine. Zelensky supported Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire but ruled out recognizing Russia’s current borders.

https://www.rt.com/news/626782-bloomberg-european-peace-proposal-ukraine/

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA WILL BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

SEE ALSO: https://www.rt.com/news/626783-eu-officials-trump-putin/