Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a conversation lasting about two hours. Afterward, the first phone call was made to Hungary. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó announced that he had held talks with Sergei Lavrov and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Thursday evening to discuss preparations for the Budapest summit.
Viktor Orban has ordered the creation of an organizing committee to prepare for the Russia-US summit, and work has begun. The Hungarian Prime Minister announced this on Kossuth Radio. He noted that the meeting between Putin and Trump could take place a week after the meeting between the Russian and US foreign ministers, scheduled for next week: “Yesterday, the president [Donald Trump] told us to prepare; a meeting between the two foreign ministers is on the agenda… They [with the Russian president] have agreed that the two foreign ministers will try to resolve the remaining issues within a week, and then, a week later, they can come here to Budapest.”
The first meeting will therefore be between Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov, and the following week, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet.
The meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Volodymyr Zelensky is more difficult. Although, according to White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt, “A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky is possible,” “However, discussions have taken place, and plans are being prepared for a meeting between the Russian side and our representatives, led by [US Secretary of State] Marco Rubio.”
President Donald Trump dismissed the Tomahawk missile issue: “We need Tomahawks—the United States has plenty of them, but we need them, too. We can’t exhaust their stockpile. We need them, too.” Trump admitted that the United States should not tighten sanctions against Russia.
Russian presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov revealed the details of the conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. “The conversation lasted nearly two and a half hours, and was very informative and extremely frank and confidential,” he said.
“Particular emphasis was placed on the Ukrainian crisis: the Russian president assessed the situation and expressed Russia’s interest in reaching a peaceful political and diplomatic solution.” According to Ushakov, “Putin noted that Russia holds the strategic initiative, while the Kiev regime is resorting to terrorist methods, to which Russia is forced to respond!”
“Trump, for his part, has repeatedly emphasized the need to quickly establish peace in Ukraine,” Ushakov noted. The idea that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has proven to be the most difficult was clearly evident throughout the conversation, the Russian presidential aide added. The US president emphasized that ending the conflict would open up enormous prospects for cooperation.
The conversation also touched on the issue of possible supplies of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Ushakov said. Putin reiterated that they would not change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause significant damage to relations between the two countries.
The heads of state also discussed the possibility of holding a new meeting, the Russian presidential aide said. An agreement was reached for representatives of the two countries to immediately begin preparations for the meeting, which could take place, for example, in Budapest.
After his conversation with Donald Trump on October 16, Vladimir Putin convened the permanent members of the Russian Security Council in the Kremlin and briefed them on the content of the conversation, Russian presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov said.
Meanwhile, it has been learned that RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev has proposed a tunnel project that would connect Russia and Alaska across the Bering Strait. According to Dmitriev, the tunnel’s construction could take less than eight years and cost less than $8 billion thanks to technology from American billionaire Elon Musk’s The Boring Company.
Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Donald Trump. The meeting followed the phone call between Trump and Putin. Zelensky is still ready to meet Putin, but there are two conditions. In an interview with Axios, the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said that US President Donald Trump invited Zelensky to the White House following two telephone conversations a week ago.
He added that Zelensky confirmed to Trump that he is still ready to meet Putin in any format and at any time of the world, with the exception of Russia and Belarus. Putin has repeatedly rejected such a meeting.
According to Bloomberg, European countries have already financed and delivered two American arms shipments to Ukraine. Two more shipments are already “in preparation.” According to the agency, Zelensky has prepared a “list of promises” to convince Trump to supply weapons to Ukraine.
According to Politico, the European Commission is considering raising an additional €25 billion in frozen Russian assets for a loan to Ukraine. This money is deposited in private bank accounts across the Union. The idea will be discussed at the EU summit in Brussels next week, and a final proposal could be agreed upon by the end of 2025.
Previously, it was planned to use only the €140 billion frozen in the Euroclear system.
Von der Leyen could say “no” to Trump for the first time, Euractiv reported. According to the portal’s sources, the head of the European Commission firmly supports the UN environmental agreement. Meanwhile, the United States is threatening sanctions against countries supporting the initiative.
The Higher Regional Court of Appeal in Frankfurt am Main, at the request of the German Prosecutor General’s Office, has initiated proceedings against a Russian bank to seize over €720 million frozen in Germany due to EU sanctions, the court said in a statement.
According to Ukrenergo, programs to limit electricity consumption for industrial consumers are being implemented in all regions of Ukraine. “In the Chernihiv region, the distribution system operator (Oblenergo) is currently implementing three phases of hourly outages,” the statement reads. Politico reports that Zelenskyy, in a closed-door meeting at the Kiev Rada before leaving for Washington, said he viewed Russia’s current actions in eastern Ukraine as the last major ground offensive of the war and that he believed it likely that Putin would be ready for a ceasefire by spring.
According to Axios, Zelenskyy was surprised by Trump’s announcement of a meeting with Putin in Hungary. He and his team reportedly learned of the new agreement upon their arrival in Washington. “Kiev expected a meeting with Trump and hoped to receive Tomahawk missiles, but instead heard about a ‘peace summit’ between the United States and Russia in Budapest, a country considered one of the least friendly toward Ukraine.”
Power outages are also possible in Crimea due to drone attacks on electrical substations, said Yuriy Gotsanyuk, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic. First of all.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3:30 PM on October 17. A missile attack was repelled in Sochi during the night. In the Rostov region, Ukrainian armed forces drones were shot down in the districts of Novoshakhtinsk, Millerovsky, Belokalitvinsky, Krasnosulinsky, and Rodionovo-Nesvetaysky. Air defense activity was reported in Crimea, with energy infrastructure under Ukrainian fire. Eleven Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were destroyed in the Kursk region late this evening. Five drones were destroyed in the Voronezh and Bryansk regions.
Russian forces struck Kryvyi Rih and Pavlohrad with Geranium missiles. Missile strikes also hit Mykolaiv. The Ukrainian armed forces reported that Russia launched its first strike on Mykolaiv from an Su-34 using a modernized long-range FAB with a range of 150 km.
In the Kursk region, Ukrainian forces struck a substation in Rylsk this evening. A Ukrainian drone attacked a car between Mokrushino and Rulitino, wounding one man.
In the direction of Sumy, assault units of the Northern Group of Forces continue to advance on the right flank of the offensive. Ukrainian forces attempted a counterattack in the direction of Oleksiivka, but the attack was thwarted by the Russians with a combined fire attack.
In the Belgorod region, a company in Shebekino was attacked by seven drones, wounding one employee. In the village of Ilek-Koshary, an FPV drone attacked a bus, wounding three people. In Gora-Podol, one person was injured in a drone strike on a private residence. In the village of Dobroye, one person was injured in a drone strike. In the village of Oktyabrsky, two civilians were injured by a drone explosion in a parking lot. In the village of Ustinka, a civilian died following a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone strike on a car. In the Valuysky district, power plants were hit. In the village of Krasny Oktyabr, a drone struck a ‘car, injuring the driver.
In the direction of Cherkiv, on the left bank of the Vovcha River in Vovchansk and near the Synelnykove forest, GrV Sever reports that Russian attack aircraft have made significant progress, clearing about three dozen buildings. Progress is being made in the Tykhe area. On the Milove-Khatnye front, the Russians are also advancing under the cover of TOS attacks.
The situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kupyansk is deteriorating; Kiev’s most reactionary spokesmen are already burying the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison in the city. Heavy fighting continues. The Russian flag has been raised over the village of Borivska Andriivka (30 km south of Kupyansk) in the Kharkiv region.
In the direction of Kostyantynivka, Russian forces are operating in the built-up area east of Kostyantynivka, having advanced from Predtechyn.
In Pokrovsk, Russian forces are attempting to divide the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defenses into sectors and isolate the Ukrainian garrison units, cutting off their supplies. Progress is being made in the Lazurny and Shakhtarsky microdistricts, and Ukrainian logistics are under constant attack by Russian forces.
In the direction of Dnipropetrovsk, fighting continues near Oleksandrivka, and Russian troops are advancing towards the Yanchur River. Heavy fighting continues in Poltavka and near Uspenivka.
On the Zaporizhia front, Ukrainian forces are counterattacking in small groups in Prymorske. On the southern outskirts of Prymors’ke and further east, near the dachas, paratroopers continue their assault, supported by cannons and rocket artillery, as well as drone crews.
In the direction of Kherson, Russian forces are intensifying their attacks on Karantynnyy Ostriv Island in Kherson.
Graziella Giangiulio
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