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Trump Says He Did Not Want ‘Wasted Meeting’ With Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that a planned face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been placed on hold, explaining he would rather wait than go ahead with what he sees as a “wasted meeting.”
Budapest Summit Postponed
The summit was tentatively scheduled for Budapest, Hungary, but U.S. officials confirmed there are “no plans” for the meeting in the immediate future. Trump made the remarks after a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in which Russia reiterated that its negotiating position had not changed.
Trump’s Remarks
“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.
Ukraine War Context
The meeting’s postponement comes amid stalled diplomacy over the war in Ukraine. Russia rejected Trump’s call for an immediate cease-fire along existing front-lines and continues to insist on key demands, including Ukrainian military neutrality and territorial concessions.
Global Reaction
European allies welcomed the delay, expressing concern that a summit might amount to legitimising Russian demands without tangible progress on the ground.
Kyiv’s Position
In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that any real peace must come from continued pressure on Moscow — including sustained military support such as long-range missiles for Ukraine.
