Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s planned meeting in Hungary has been called off, raising concerns about escalating tensions. The scheduled discussions aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine were postponed without a set date for the meeting in Budapest.
The decision to delay the meeting came after a conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that adequate preparation was necessary before the leaders could convene.
This development marks another setback in Trump’s attempts to address the Ukrainian crisis, which he previously suggested could be swiftly resolved. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders have accused Putin of prolonging the conflict to advance his military agenda during diplomatic talks.
Zelensky highlighted Putin’s sudden return to diplomacy following concerns that the US might provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. Stressing the urgency for peace, Zelensky emphasized the need for external pressure to end the war.
Trump recently shifted his stance on Ukraine’s territorial concessions after discussions with Putin, urging both Russia and Kyiv to halt their actions. Ukrainian and European leaders are rallying behind Trump’s call for an immediate cessation of hostilities as a basis for negotiations.
Further discussions on imposing additional economic sanctions on Russia are expected at an upcoming EU summit in Brussels.