Plans for a proposed meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest have been put on hold, just days after it was floated as a potential step toward ending the war in Ukraine.
The US President said he’s put his planned meeting with Russian leader on hold — because he doesn’t want to waste time.
“I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to have a waste of time, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The proposed summit, which Trump announced last week, was expected to take place in Budapest in the coming weeks. The plan was paused following a call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who also canceled their own preparatory meeting.
“A lot of things are happening on the war front,” Trump said, adding that he would update the public over the next two days about the administration’s next steps on Ukraine.
Just days ago, Trump said he was ready for a productive meeting” with Putin, even hinting at a peace framework based on current battle lines. But that proposal has alarmed European allies and Kyiv, who fear it could effectively reward Moscow by freezing Russian territorial gains.
The White House also confirmed there were “no plans” for a Trump-Putin summit “in the immediate future,” saying recent diplomatic efforts had failed to make a breakthrough toward a ceasefire.
While the Kremlin also appeared in no rush to resurrect the meeting either. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Preparation is needed, serious preparation” before any presidential summit can take place.
“Listen, we have an understanding of the presidents, but we cannot postpone what has not been finalised. Neither President Trump nor President Putin gave exact dates.” Kremlin spokesman added.
During a recent phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow reportedly offered to surrender parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces currently under Russian control in exchange for full control of Donetsk, which is an industrial area and military stronghold long coveted by the Kremlin.
However, Kyiv considers Donetsk the gateway to central Ukraine and has resisted any territorial concessions.
ZELENSKYY FRUSTRATED BY DELAYS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government remained “on the same page” as its Western allies but expressed frustration that Russia had grown “less interested” in serious peace talks following Trump’s hesitation to authorise the supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy met Trump in Washington on Friday, a day after Trump’s call with Putin. The meeting was reportedly tense, with the idea of Ukraine accepting limited territorial concessions raised by Trump.
PUTIN WILL DESTROY YOU, WARNS TRUMP
In a White House meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump warned that Vladimir Putin had vowed to “destroy” Ukraine if he refused. At one point, Trump reportedly tossed aside Ukraine’s military maps, saying he was “sick” of seeing them and did not even recognise “this red line” marking the front.
Kyiv firmly rejected the notion, insisting that its borders remain non-negotiable. However, its request for long-range Tomahawk missiles — capable of striking Russian targets up to 1,000 miles away — was also rejected.
Ukraine believes access to Tomahawk missiles could allow their forces to target Russian military-industrial complexes and oil facilities deep within Russia, putting pressure on Moscow to negotiate from a position of weakness. The Kremlin has warned that such strikes would be viewed as escalatory.
– Ends
With inputs form agencies
Tune In
