Plans for an immediate summit between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have been abruptly halted, according to officials in both Washington and Moscow. The reversal comes just as Trump was scheduled to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The scheduled talks with Zelensky reportedly included discussions on providing US-made Tomahawk missiles, which possess the capability to penetrate deep into Russian territory.
Last week, Trump had hailed a “progress” call with Putin and announced a meeting in Budapest within two weeks. This prompted a follow-up call Monday between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Despite that “productive” diplomatic call, a US official stated Tuesday, “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.” The official, speaking anonymously, added that a separate meeting between Rubio and Lavrov was now unnecessary.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson reinforced this message, stating there is “no precise timeframe” for a summit. This whiplash follows Trump’s August meeting with Putin in Alaska and his claims of having a “personal chemistry” strong enough to end the Ukraine war.