Peace, Faith, and Realism in Europe
By Dr K. M. George
CEO, Sustainable Development Forum | Former UNDP–FAO–ADB International Practitioner
A Moment the World Cannot Waste
In the coming days, Budapest will host one of the most consequential encounters of our time — the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has promised safe passage to President Putin despite the ICC warrant, an audacious assertion of national sovereignty and diplomatic independence. The setting is no accident: Hungary calls itself an “island of peace.” It now has the chance to prove it.
This summit must not be another photo opportunity. It must become a summit of redemption — one that ends Europe’s most destructive conflict in generations, rebalances U.S.–Russia relations, and restores moral sanity to a divided Orthodox world.
After nearly three years of war, the toll is unbearable: tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, cities reduced to rubble, and Europe’s economy drained by energy shocks. Ordinary citizens — in Kyiv, Moscow, Warsaw, and Berlin — crave relief, not rhetoric. The world is ready for realism.
From Alaska to Budapest: The Second Chance
When Trump and Putin met in Alaska in August 2025, expectations were high but outcomes thin. Yet the political calculus has since changed.
Russia’s battlefield advances continue, but sanctions and isolation have bitten deep. Ukraine’s resistance remains heroic, but exhaustion is visible. Europe is paying a heavy price in inflation and public fatigue.
Against this backdrop, a new diplomatic window opens. Both leaders now recognise that perpetual stalemate is strategic defeat — for everyone.
Three Interlocking Crises
- A war without victors. The longer it continues, the harder it will be to rebuild trust or economies.
- A crisis of identity. The schism between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Moscow Patriarchate mirrors the political fracture of nations once bound by faith.
- A crisis of fatigue. The moral and economic costs have drained not just treasuries but souls.
Budapest must address all three: peace, dignity, and spiritual reconciliation.
I. Re-anchoring Diplomacy in Dignity
A successful summit requires a three-party framework: the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. Talking about Ukraine without Ukraine will doom any accord.
Step 1: Elevate President Zelenskiy from subject to partner.
Trump should first host Zelenskiy in Washington to co-draft a communiqué reaffirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and readiness for phased de-escalation. Such preparation would allow Zelenskiy to arrive in Budapest as a sovereign negotiator, not a sidelined supplicant.
Step 2: Offer Russia security without conquest.
Peace that humiliates Moscow will not endure. The U.S. and NATO could pledge a 15-year moratorium on Ukrainian membership, paired with binding assurances of Ukraine’s neutrality.
In return, Russia must accept an internationally verified ceasefire line and agree to future referenda or autonomy arrangements in disputed territories under UN or OSCE supervision.
This formula recognises facts on the ground without surrendering principles.
II. Freezing the Front, Not the Future
A 90-day ceasefire, verified by neutral monitors from nations such as India, Austria, and Switzerland, could begin the reset.
During this period, humanitarian corridors, prisoner exchanges, and the protection of energy and food routes would take precedence.
Once violence stops, the next stage — reconstruction and reconciliation — can begin.
III. Building the Peace Dividend
The Budapest Reconstruction and Energy Compact
War will not truly end until rebuilding begins. The summit should unveil a multilateral reconstruction mechanism co-funded by Western donors, frozen Russian assets, and multilateral banks.
Key features:
- Reconstruct Ukraine’s energy grid, bridges, and hospitals.
- Guarantee Russian gas transit through Ukraine, providing income for Kyiv and reliability for Europe.
- Allow American and European firms transparent access to contracts, creating shared economic stakes.
- Invite Asian partners such as India and Japan for balance and credibility.
Economic interdependence is the surest insurance against relapse into war.
IV. Healing the Spiritual Wound
Few outside the region grasp how deeply religion runs through this conflict.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church — historically linked to Moscow but now persecuted by association — is in existential peril.
The Russian Orthodox Church, in turn, has aligned itself too closely with state power, turning faith into ideology.
Budapest can open a path to reconciliation without subordination.
A Pan-Orthodox Commission co-chaired by representatives from Constantinople, Moscow, and Kyiv could design a federated model: local autonomy for the UOC within restored canonical communion.
Such a move would depoliticise religion and remind the world that spiritual unity can survive political borders.
V. The Sanctions Equation
Sanctions should become instruments of compliance, not symbols of vengeance.
A phased, reversible plan can link each relief measure to verified milestones — ceasefire observance, prisoner releases, humanitarian access.
Lifting restrictions on food, medicine, and essential banking channels first would demonstrate goodwill without eroding leverage.
In diplomacy, incentive breeds obedience far better than isolation breeds repentance.
VI. Controlling the Narrative
Public opinion will decide whether Budapest is hailed as peace or appeasement.
Governments must therefore coordinate a “diplomacy of dignity” campaign:
- In the U.S.: frame Trump’s initiative as peace through strength.
- In Russia: present Putin’s consent as victory through wisdom.
- In Ukraine: highlight Zelenskiy’s courage in choosing life over endless loss.
- In Europe: stress relief from energy insecurity and refugee pressures.
If the summit communicates humanity instead of hubris, voters will follow.
VII. Institutionalising the Truce
Good agreements die without guardians.
A Permanent Peace Implementation Council, headquartered in Budapest or Geneva, should include representatives of the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, EU, and UN.
Its tasks: monitor troop movements, coordinate reconstruction funds, arbitrate disputes, and publish transparent progress reports.
Parallel to it, an Ecclesiastical Liaison Committee could oversee Orthodox reconciliation — a moral pillar supporting the political one.
VIII. The Global South’s Seat at the Table
Asia, Africa, and Latin America have borne indirect costs of this war — food shortages, energy spikes, inflation.
Bringing India, Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa into the Budapest process would lend both legitimacy and balance.
It would show that peace is no longer a monopoly of Western capitals but a collective responsibility of the global community.
IX. Europe’s Turn Toward Realism
The European Union, while unified in principle, is divided by fatigue.
Its post-Cold War expansion promised unity but produced insecurity in Moscow.
Europe must now pivot from expansion to equilibrium, from sanctions to solutions.
Supporting the Budapest process is not appeasement; it is strategic adulthood.
A stable eastern frontier means cheaper energy, restored trade, and reduced migration pressure — all urgent needs for Europe’s own citizens.
X. The Budapest Peace Charter
The summit should culminate in a concise Budapest Peace Charter, co-signed by Trump, Putin, and Zelenskiy and witnessed by neutral states.
Its seven core articles could read:
- Immediate 90-day ceasefire and verified disengagement.
- Protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian aid.
- Creation of the Budapest Reconstruction and Energy Compact.
- Establishment of the Permanent Implementation Council.
- Launch of the Pan-Orthodox Reconciliation Commission.
- Phased sanctions relief tied to compliance.
- Commitment to review territorial status and autonomy within two years under UN supervision.
Such a charter would transform Budapest from a diplomatic stage into a symbol of human reconciliation.
XI. Addressing the Critics
| Critique | Response |
| “This rewards aggression.” | No. It freezes violence and saves lives while keeping future borders negotiable. |
| “Ukraine loses face.” | Ukraine gains survival, reconstruction, and restored sovereignty over most of its territory. |
| “The U.S. looks weak.” | Ending a war through negotiation is not weakness but wisdom. |
| “Church politics don’t belong here.” | Without spiritual healing, political peace will always rest on sand. |
| “Russia will cheat.” | Verification, phased sanctions, and neutral guarantors ensure accountability. |
XII. Ten Immediate Steps Forward
- Washington–Kyiv pre-consultation confirming Ukraine’s negotiating mandate.
- Geneva ministerial of U.S. and Russian foreign ministers with Hungarian facilitation.
- Tripartite rules-of-engagement document defining red lines.
- Ceasefire activation within 72 hours of summit opening.
- Humanitarian access corridors under UN management.
- Reconstruction Fund seeded by frozen Russian assets and multilateral aid.
- Orthodox reconciliation launch conference in Budapest Cathedral.
- Energy transit pact securing winter supplies for Europe.
- Phased sanctions roadmap approved by UN Security Council.
- Global South endorsement meeting hosted by India to broaden legitimacy.
Each step transforms words into architecture — peace with scaffolding.
XIII. What Each Side Gains
Russia regains legitimacy, sanctions relief, and a path to economic normalcy.
Ukraine halts devastation, secures aid, and reclaims its diplomatic voice.
The United States restores its image as indispensable mediator rather than distant arms supplier.
Europe wins stability and affordable energy.
The Orthodox Church regains unity.
Humanity regains hope.
Budapest could thus stand beside Yalta and Helsinki — not as a partition of power but as a convergence of conscience.
Conclusion: From Power to Peace
If the Budapest summit embraces empathy over ego, history will record October 2025 as the month when diplomacy rediscovered its soul.
President Trump’s instinct for bold deals, President Putin’s yearning for global respect, and President Zelenskiy’s moral courage can together author a new chapter — one where statesmanship triumphs over strife.
Peace is not capitulation; it is civilisation’s highest intelligence.
Let Budapest become the city where the cannons finally fell silent, the churches reopened their hearts, and leaders chose compassion over calculation.
Dr K. M. George
CEO, Sustainable Development Forum
(Former UNDP / FAO / ADB International Practitioner across 15,000 villages worldwide)
📩 Email:melmana@gmail.com