BELGRADE, October 17. /TASS/. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he expects attempts by the European Union, Ukraine, and liberal forces in the United States to disrupt the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump, scheduled to take place in Budapest.
"I foresee intense pressure in the coming days from so-called liberal, left-wing America and certain European countries, along with Ukraine, to prevent this summit from taking place in Budapest," Vucic told reporters.
He suggested that efforts to block the summit could include denying flight permissions for the leaders’ aircraft. "However, that would amount to an open confrontation not only with Russia, but also with Donald Trump and the United States - something I don’t believe anyone can afford today," he emphasized.
The Serbian leader added that the choice of Budapest as the venue was unlikely to please some European capitals. "Budapest was chosen for a reason," Vucic noted, adding that he would share more details after his meeting next week with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The Serbian president also described the planned meeting as a positive development: "In any case, this is good news. It’s encouraging that peace talks are being discussed. Ukraine will definitely be the main topic. The more you talk about peace, the better the chance that peace will actually be achieved. I don’t think it will happen immediately or easily, but perhaps sooner than many expect," he said.
On October 16, following a phone call with Putin, Trump announced that they had agreed to meet soon in the Hungarian capital. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov later confirmed that Moscow and Washington would "without delay" begin preparations for the meeting. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Orban has ordered the creation of an organizational committee to coordinate the summit.