U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he is “strongly confident” Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold a bilateral meeting aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. In interviews on CNBC and Fox News, Bessent indicated that both sides appear ready to negotiate and that Budapest is among the cities under consideration for the encounter. Bessent’s optimism follows a flurry of diplomacy orchestrated by President Donald Trump, including last week’s summit with Putin in Alaska—described by the Treasury chief as a calculated “show of force” featuring a display of U.S. military hardware—and Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House earlier this week. Trump subsequently spoke with Putin by phone, a call Bessent said laid further groundwork for direct talks between the two wartime leaders. Separately, Bessent signaled satisfaction with the current trade truce between Washington and Beijing, which was extended for 90 days to November. He said the status quo is “working pretty well,” noting that China remains the largest contributor to U.S. tariff revenue. The secretary also said the administration intends to introduce measures to “significantly boost” economic growth in the fourth quarter, and projected that 2026 could be a “booming year” for the U.S. economy.