By Gergely Szakacs and Lili Bayer

BUDAPEST/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -When Russia’s Vladimir Putin steps off the plane in European Union and NATO member Hungary for a summit with Donald Trump, it will be uncomfortable viewing for allies of Ukraine that have sought to isolate a leader they say is a war criminal.

The U.S. President said on Thursday he may meet his Russian counterpart in Budapest within two weeks, adopting a more conciliatory tone towards Russia just as it had looked like Washington could send Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.

The choice of a country that is part of groupings that have spearheaded international efforts to help Ukraine and isolate Russia for the summit raised eyebrows among diplomats and analysts as much as the plan itself.

It was there that, in 1994, the United States,

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