Wednesday, 22 October, 2025
A planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was put on hold Tuesday after Moscow refused to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, casting doubt over high-stakes diplomacy.
A senior White House official told Reuters, “There are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” following a “productive” phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that failed to produce a summit date.
Trump had announced last week that he and Putin would meet soon in Hungary to explore ways to end the war. But the Kremlin insists Ukraine must first cede more territory, a demand that has stalled negotiations.
European leaders urged Washington to hold firm, demanding that any talks start from current front lines. Trump, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, had hoped for a high-profile follow-up to his August summit with Putin in Alaska, which ended without progress.
Preparations hit a snag as a planned Rubio-Lavrov preparatory meeting in Budapest was postponed. Lavrov said substance was more important than timing, while the Kremlin stressed that serious preparation was needed before setting a summit date. “Neither President Trump nor President Putin gave exact dates,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Senior European diplomats suggested the Americans grew wary after Moscow’s demands. “I guess the Russians wanted too much,” one said. “It became clear there will be no deal for Trump in Budapest.”
European powers fear Trump may meet Putin without securing meaningful concessions. In a statement Tuesday, leaders from Britain, France, Germany, and the EU “strongly support President Trump’s position that fighting should stop immediately, with current lines as the basis for negotiations.”
Trump’s stance on Ukraine has shifted publicly, but after meeting Zelensky, he explicitly endorsed a ceasefire along current positions. Reports indicate the private White House meeting was tense, with Trump pushing Zelensky to accept some Russian demands, though Kyiv described it as a success because of the public ceasefire backing.
Budapest remains a contentious venue. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is one of the few European leaders maintaining warm ties with Russia. Any summit would require Putin to traverse other EU airspace. Poland has warned it could force Putin’s plane down, while Bulgaria said passage would be allowed.
With Moscow holding firm, European concerns mounting, and logistical hurdles unresolved, the Trump-Putin summit now hangs in the balance, leaving the fate of renewed Ukraine negotiations uncertain.
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A planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was put on hold Tuesday after Moscow refused to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, casting doubt over high-stakes diplomacy.
A senior White House official told Reuters, “There are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” following a “productive” phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that failed to produce a summit date.
Trump had announced last week that he and Putin would meet soon in Hungary to explore ways to end the war. But the Kremlin insists Ukraine must first cede more territory, a demand that has stalled negotiations.
European leaders urged Washington to hold firm, demanding that any talks start from current front lines. Trump, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, had hoped for a high-profile follow-up to his August summit with Putin in Alaska, which ended without progress.
Preparations hit a snag as a planned Rubio-Lavrov preparatory meeting in Budapest was postponed. Lavrov said substance was more important than timing, while the Kremlin stressed that serious preparation was needed before setting a summit date. “Neither President Trump nor President Putin gave exact dates,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Senior European diplomats suggested the Americans grew wary after Moscow’s demands. “I guess the Russians wanted too much,” one said. “It became clear there will be no deal for Trump in Budapest.”
European powers fear Trump may meet Putin without securing meaningful concessions. In a statement Tuesday, leaders from Britain, France, Germany, and the EU “strongly support President Trump’s position that fighting should stop immediately, with current lines as the basis for negotiations.”
Trump’s stance on Ukraine has shifted publicly, but after meeting Zelensky, he explicitly endorsed a ceasefire along current positions. Reports indicate the private White House meeting was tense, with Trump pushing Zelensky to accept some Russian demands, though Kyiv described it as a success because of the public ceasefire backing.
Budapest remains a contentious venue. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is one of the few European leaders maintaining warm ties with Russia. Any summit would require Putin to traverse other EU airspace. Poland has warned it could force Putin’s plane down, while Bulgaria said passage would be allowed.
With Moscow holding firm, European concerns mounting, and logistical hurdles unresolved, the Trump-Putin summit now hangs in the balance, leaving the fate of renewed Ukraine negotiations uncertain.
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