President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Thursday, the White House said, ahead of Trump’s in-person meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump, in a social media post, called the conversation “productive” and said he and Putin would eventually meet again, in Budapest, Hungary, at an unspecified time. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the call lasted more than two hours.
“As we concluded the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our Senior Advisors next week,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform. “The initial US meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with several others, who will be designated. The location of the meeting is to be determined. President Putin and I will then meet at an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can end this ‘ignorant’ war between Russia and Ukraine.”
ABC News chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce asked Leavitt if Trump still believed he could get Putin and Zelenskyy in a room together, after he failed to reach that step after hosting Putin at a summit in Alaska in August.
“I think he believes it’s possible and of course he would love to see that happen,” Leavitt said. “But right now there were discussions and plans are being made for the Russian side and our people, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to meet and then for President Putin and President Trump to maybe meet again. But I don’t think the president has closed the door on that at all.”
President Donald Trump in Washington, October 10, 2025 and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, October 16, 2025.
EPA/Shutterstock/Reuters
Russia overnight fired more than 300 drones and about three dozen missiles at targets across Ukraine, including civilian energy infrastructure, Zelenskyy said Thursday.
The attack also targeted the State Emergency Service department in the Kharkiv region, he said.
“There are wounded,” Zelenskyy saying on social networks. “Recovery efforts are underway everywhere. Emergency services are working.”
A firefighter works at the scene of an apartment building hit during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the city of Nizhyn, Chernihiv region, Ukraine, in this photo released on October 16, 2025.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters
Zelenskyy, who is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Friday, said Thursday that the ongoing attacks only show that the West needs to continue applying “pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
That pressure included continuing to update sanctions, but, he said, could also include longer-range capabilities for the Ukrainian military to strike targets deeper inside Russia.
“It is possible to make strong decisions, decisions that can help. And this depends on the United States, on Europe, on all partners whose strength directly determines whether the war will end,” Zelenskyy said.
He added: “There is now a significant push toward peace in the Middle East. In Europe, this is also possible. That is exactly what I will discuss today and tomorrow in Washington.”
The Kremlin on Wednesday also addressed the possibility of the West supplying weapons or giving the green light to broader Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was cited in Tass, a Russian state-affiliated media outlet, saying that deliveries of American-made Tomahawks would amount to a “dangerous escalation of tensions” between Russia and the United States.
The Russian strike on Ukraine overnight targeted several Ukrainian regions, focusing on the Poltava and Kharkiv regions, with a total of around 320 drones, around 200 of which were Shahed attack drones, the Ukrainian air force said. Some 37 missiles were also fired, the military said.
An apartment building hit during a Russian drone strike burns, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the city of Nizhyn, Chernihiv region, Ukraine, in this photo released on October 16, 2025.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters
Most of those airstrikes were thwarted by Ukraine or failed, the air force said. Thirty-seven drones and 14 missiles managed to penetrate Ukraine’s air defenses, the military said.
The Russian Defense Ministry also reported the downing of at least 51 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory. Local authorities said that the supply of electricity to several settlements in Volgograd, Voronezh and The Belgorod regions were disturbed by Ukrainian attacks.
Trump said Wednesday during an Oval Office news conference that he thought Russia and Ukraine were close to a ceasefire agreement about two months ago, blaming the impasse on animosity between Zelenskyy and Putin.
“You know, it’s an obstacle. It’s an obstacle,” Trump said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
ABC News Lalee Ibssa, Joe Simon and Will Great Gretsky contributed to this report.
