Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly been cautioned not to travel to Budapest for a planned meeting with Donald Trump, following alarming warnings of an alleged “British assassination plot.”
The warning came from Andrey Bezrukov, a former Russian intelligence officer and undercover SVR agent who once operated in the United States. Speaking on Russian state TV, Bezrukov urged Putin to cancel any potential Budapest trip and instead relocate the expected Trump-Putin meeting to Dubai, calling it a safer and “more neutral” venue.
“Do not go to Budapest,” Bezrukov advised, adding that he had “serious concerns” about what he described as an “absolutely treacherous operation” being planned by the British.
Bezrukov, 65, is a former KGB and SVR spy whose cover was exposed in 2010 after a major FBI operation that also involved Russian agent Anna Chapman. Following a high-profile spy swap, he returned to Russia, where he became a professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and later an adviser to Rosneft, the state oil company.
During his TV appearance, Bezrukov accused the British establishment of viewing Putin’s potential elimination as a way to destabilize Russia.
He alleged that “for the British ruling class, if Putin doesn’t exist, the problem disappears,” claiming that the UK elite is “losing its power” amid political and social changes.
“They will risk everything,” he warned. “They could attempt an operation in Budapest under the cover of this meeting.”
When asked by TV host Vladimir Solovyov how Putin could avoid such a risk, Bezrukov suggested holding the meeting in the United Arab Emirates, calling it “a wonderful country” that could provide a secure location for talks with Trump.
Solovyov, a well-known Kremlin media figure, responded that Putin might take the risk regardless, calling him “a brave man.” Bezrukov disagreed, saying,
“Sometimes courage isn’t enough the interests of the country must come first.”
If Putin were to visit Budapest, it would mark his first trip to Hungary since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Hungarian officials have previously stated that they would not enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issued against Putin, which accuses him of war crimes involving the deportation of Ukrainian children.
The Kremlin has not confirmed any scheduled meeting with Trump, nor responded to Bezrukov’s warnings. Western intelligence agencies have also not provided any evidence to support his claims of a British plot.
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