Trump-Putin summit in Budapest on hold, Russia says no change in position

Trump–Putin Summit Plans in Budapest Put on Hold

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans for a summit in Budapest, originally intended to discuss Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, have been put on hold following a phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to reports by the Associated Press.

Moscow indicated that preparations for the summit “could take time.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “No precise timeframe was initially set here. Preparation is needed, serious preparation.”

The White House echoed this, with a senior official confirming there are no plans for the presidents to meet “in the immediate future,” casting doubt on Trump’s previous claim that the meeting could occur within two weeks.

Lavrov expressed surprise at a CNN report suggesting the Rubio-Lavrov meeting had been delayed, dismissing claims that Russia maintained a “maximalist stance.” He said, "I want to officially confirm: Russia has not changed its position compared to the understandings that were reached during the Alaska summit," adding that he had communicated this to Rubio.

The Russian side emphasized that the timing and location of the next Trump-Putin summit are less important than implementing the understandings reached in Anchorage, Alaska. Peskov added, "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."

The US President, in September, reversed his position that Ukraine would have to concede territory to Russia and suggested that Kyiv could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia.

However, after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump once again shifted his position and called on both countries to “stop where they are” in the more than three-year war.

US President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to cede the eastern Donbas region during talks last week in Washington over how to end Russia's invasion, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP on Tuesday.

"Yes, that's true," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP when asked if Trump urged Zelensky to pull troops out of land they still control.

The source added that talks with Trump were "tense and not easy", and that diplomatic efforts to end the war felt like they were being "dragged out" and "going in circles".

(With agency inputs)