Brussels Edition

EU in Waiting Mode as Trump Plots Putin Peace Deal in Budapest

President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy .

Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Welcome to the Brussels Edition. I’m Sam Stolton, EU competition reporter with Bloomberg, bringing you the latest from the EU. Make sure you’re signed up.

One major conflict down, one to go. After rubber-stamping an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, Donald Trump — the self-styled “president of peace” — has his sights fixed on forging an armistice between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump’s proposed tête-à-tête with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on EU soil in Budapest drew cautious approval from the European Commission in Brussels today. The EU executive backs “any steps that lead to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” spokesman Olof Gill said, adding that if “the proposed meeting serves this purpose,” the institution would welcome it.