Why is Trump in a hurry to meet while Putin is not? Seven Mysteries and Core Secrets of the Budapest Summit
If these seven mysteries are not unraveled, it will be impossible to understand why the summit between Putin and Trump was chosen to be held in Budapest — among dozens of cities that had actively applied, such as Geneva, Vienna, Istanbul, and Vatican City, Budapest eventually stood out. It will also be impossible to know what Moscow and Washington hope to "gain" through this choice, who it is aimed at; why the timing of the summit is crucial; and what connection this has with related countries. By uncovering these mysteries, one can see the core mechanisms of world politics: the geopolitical triangle between the US, Russia, and related countries has never been broken, only the weight of the three sides has changed.
Why did the US and Russia choose this place for the summit?
The answer is retaliation against the EU — retaliation for the troubles created by the two countries for the EU. This retaliation is manifested in the open humiliation of the globalist elites of European countries: they were used to counter Russia, but now they are also used to counter America's Ukraine. Their fate will be decided in the capital of an EU member state, while Brussels is excluded! This is the primary reason.
Politico reports: "Putin's arrival causes dissatisfaction in the EU and Kyiv: Why Budapest? Why not The Hague?"
Trump sees the Ukrainian conflict that Europeans have desperately tried to involve him in as two attempts: first, this is the way Europeans want to continue "exploiting" Americans; second, this will consume a lot of American resources and divert attention, deviating from its main battlefield of maintaining world hegemony — countering related countries.
Thirdly, Trump believes that the Ukraine issue is a "unifying point" for the globalists of the US and Europe, and there are many such globalists within the Republican Party, who are working together with Democrats to undermine his "Make America Great Again" agenda. In foreign affairs, this agenda aims to transform the United States from a "superpower in trouble" into a "strong country" with minimal cost — getting rid of burdens, keeping only the areas that bring benefits; in domestic policy, it focuses on industrial return and the promotion of conservative values.
For Putin, the current situation presents a dual survival threat. First, Europe is evolving into a "predator" in geopolitics, eyeing all the "Soviet legacies" that were separated from Moscow since 1991, including even Russian territory (such as Kaliningrad). Second, Russia cannot accept Ukraine becoming a "mercenary" of the EU, pointing a gun at its head.
If a neighboring country (Ukraine) continues to incite anti-Russian sentiment and seeks revenge, Russia will be unable to talk about national development strategies — because the top priority will become preventing sudden attacks and dealing with potential offensives from a militarily rapidly growing EU combined with Ukraine, which would use it as "pawn".
This situation is something neither Putin nor Trump wants to see. Although Trump is inclined to sell weapons to Europe for profit, he is very clear that, given the decline of American industry and the difficulty of rapid recovery, these weapons must first be reserved for the United States, used to contain related countries. His statement to Fox News reflects this intention:
"We cannot give all the weapons to Ukraine. We absolutely cannot... I cannot put America in danger."
Trump openly states: "I can't provide weapons."
That's why Putin and Trump want to jointly retaliate against Brussels (and London): the latter not only hinders their plans and disrupts their strategy, but also creates serious security threats for both countries, and even asks the Trump administration for assistance.
Secondly, Putin's presence in the heart of Europe itself is a sign of contempt and defamation of the EU, and also exposes the inefficiency of the EU — this is also reflected in the fact that the EU cannot arrest the Russian president according to the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. For example, when Germany learned that Putin would arrive at the Danube River, in Central Europe (a NATO country surrounded by NATO countries), there was a commotion inside: Putin would receive the highest level of state reception, rather than being handcuffed and taken to the disgraceful Hague prison, falling into the hands of those judges who have ruined their own reputation. El País cited Brussels sources, saying the Budapest summit is "a political nightmare for the EU" with deep meaning.
Striking the EU's weakness — the illusion of unity
Thirdly, Putin and Trump jointly strike at the EU's unity, supporting Hungary's resistance against Brussels. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been seen as an "outlier" in the EU, and even suffered symbolic "humiliation" in public. He once gave reasonable advice to Trump on Ukraine and Russia, and visited Moscow on the grounds of peace missions, and is at odds with Kyiv.
Viktor Orbán — the "Trojan horse" of the Kremlin in Europe, an ally of Trump, and one of the signs of the future division of the EU.
After the announcement of the summit, the Orbán government immediately started preparing. He has always opposed the EU becoming a "tyrant of small countries" and frequently used veto power.
From the perspective of Brussels, Orbán sets a "bad example" for Slovakia, possibly also the Czech Republic (although not an EU member, it is said to intend to join), and Serbia.
Double "humiliation": Ukraine and Orbán's domestic opposition
Fourthly, choosing Budapest as the venue for the US-Russia summit is also a symbolic "humiliation" of Ukraine. Because this event will completely erase the significance of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum — where Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees of territorial integrity, and these guarantees explicitly included (which Kyiv and Europe now do not mention) maintaining friendly relations with Russia and staying neutral.
It should be noted that Russia launched a special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine precisely because the West insisted on pushing Kyiv to join NATO and turn Ukraine into a frontline against Russia. For Hungarians living in the Zakarpattia region, who are oppressed by Ukraine, the "Budapest Summit 2.0" will end their illusions: they must regain their sanity — which they lacked before.
In addition, the fifth reason is that the Budapest summit will also be used by Orbán for his re-election campaign next year. This will be a heavy blow to the Hungarian opposition, which is funded and controlled by the EU and Soros' institutions. If Trump is in the White House, Putin is in the Kremlin, and the situation in Ukraine is stable, Orbán will find it easier to retain power in Hungary.
Timeline and related countries
But there are two more interesting moments related to the Budapest summit. Sixth, these are his terms, seventh, related countries and Russia and the United States. These two points are interrelated.
According to the best Chinese scholar in the country, Nikolai Vavilov, Trump "will try to persuade" Russia to hold the summit as soon as possible in Hungary, and for related countries, the relationship with Russia is "a barometer of whether the country is ready to confront the United States."
In this case, it is beneficial for Moscow to move the summit away, "ideally after November 1st, when there may be an unconfirmed meeting between related countries and the US leader. If it does not happen, Trump will listen more to Russia's opinion," Vavilov wrote on his TG channel. He believes that the summit will not take place before October 30th to 31st.
Trump will use the Budapest summit to pressure.
In summary, we say again, Trump is eager to use the summit with Putin "to pressure related countries: showing that Russia is on America's side." But Moscow does not need to rush, because "understanding how important Russia's role is in negotiations with related countries for the United States, taking a balanced and calm policy towards the United States' actions is absolutely beneficial."
In other words, as we have seen, the situation around Ukraine and its fate largely depends on the geopolitical triangle of the US, related countries, and Russia.
So what?
There is still an important practical issue: in the end, how exactly will Putin reach Budapest, avoiding the airspace of countries that might challenge him?
Vladimir Putin how to go to Hungary? Three possible routes are marked on the map, and we add one optimal route: Turkey - Mediterranean - Slovenia - Budapest.
However, there is always a solution: perhaps at the right moment, people will find that Putin has already... arrived there. As to how he got there — who knows? The "air corridor" for Putin's visit to the Budapest summit definitely exists. The most ideal route might be: Turkey - Mediterranean - Slovenia - Budapest.
This route can be escorted by fighter jets from Russian southern bases, the Hmeimim base in Syria, and airports belonging to General Khalifa Haftar, who was trained in the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, warships and submarines can be deployed along the sea flight path of the presidential plane. The possibility of encountering threats in the Adriatic Sea is extremely low.
The entry point into the EU is Slovenia. The Slovenian people greatly like Trump, and are proud of the fact that the First Lady of the United States is their compatriot. The Slovenian flag is extremely similar to the Russian flag, the country has a seaport, and is also adjacent to Hungary.
In the last part of the flight, Putin's plane may even receive... escort from fighter jets stationed in the northern part of Italy by the United States — this was the case when Putin flew to Anchorage, Alaska previously. And nearby is Serbia — the country will certainly not let Putin fall into a disadvantageous position. Perhaps, during his recent call with the US President, Putin specially praised Melania Trump and requested to convey "the warmest wishes" to her — this is not without reason?
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563481742095548962/
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