U.S. President Donald Trump has canceled plans for a summit in Budapest with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating he did not want a “wasted” meeting.
The decision comes after a previously announced plan to meet within two weeks, following what Trump described as a productive phone call aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump emphasized the need for meaningful progress before engaging in talks, saying, “I don’t want to have a wasted meeting.” A White House official confirmed that there are now “no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”
The cancellation follows a tense meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump reportedly pressured Zelensky to cede the eastern Donbas region to Russia in exchange for peace. A senior Ukrainian official described the talks as “not easy,” with diplomatic efforts feeling like they were “going in circles.”
Trump’s approach to the conflict has raised concerns among Ukraine and its European allies, who are left scrambling to keep up with the mercurial U.S. president. While Trump has called for both Moscow and Kyiv to stop the war at their current battle lines, he has also urged Ukraine to pull out of territory it still controls, one of Putin’s key demands.
The cancellation of the summit and the ongoing diplomatic tensions highlight the complexities of international negotiations and the challenges in achieving a resolution to the ongoing conflict.
