Donald Trump said he did not want a “wasted meeting” after plans for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine were suspended. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, the US president said Moscow’s refusal to stop fighting along the current front line remained the main obstacle to progress.
White House drops plan for Budapest summit
A White House official confirmed there were “no plans” for a Trump-Putin meeting “in the immediate future.” That announcement came just days after Trump had claimed both leaders would meet in Budapest within two weeks.
The week revealed widening gaps between Washington and Moscow over peace proposals, killing hopes for a breakthrough summit. Trump and Putin last met in Alaska in August during a hastily arranged encounter that ended without progress.
The decision to drop a second meeting appeared designed to avoid another fruitless event. “The Russians wanted too much, and it became clear there would be no deal for Trump in Budapest,” a senior European diplomat told Reuters.
Phone calls replace cancelled meetings
A planned meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was scrapped this week. The White House said both men had held a “productive” phone call instead, making an in-person session unnecessary.
On Monday, Trump backed a ceasefire proposal supported by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict along the current battle line. “Let it be cut the way it is,” Trump said. “Cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people.”
Kremlin refuses to freeze the front line
Russia has consistently rejected proposals to freeze the current line of contact. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the idea had been raised several times but that “Russia’s position remains consistent.” Moscow still demands a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the eastern regions.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said Moscow wanted a “long-term, sustainable peace,” arguing that freezing the front would create only a temporary truce. He added that the “root causes of the conflict” must be resolved, referring to Russian demands for recognition of sovereignty over the Donbas and Ukraine’s demilitarisation. Kyiv and European governments have dismissed those demands as unacceptable.
Europe and Kyiv call for diplomatic progress
European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday in a joint statement urging that any peace talks begin with freezing the current front line. They accused Russia of not being “serious” about ending the war.
Zelensky described front-line discussions as “the beginning of diplomacy” and said Moscow was doing everything possible to avoid them. He argued that only one issue could make Russia “pay attention” — the continued delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
Tensions rise as diplomacy stalls
Trump had discussed a potential summit in Budapest with Putin by phone one day before meeting Zelensky at the White House. Reports later described the call as tense, with sources claiming Trump had urged Zelensky to surrender parts of the Donbas as part of a possible deal with Russia.
Zelensky has repeatedly rejected giving up any territory still under Ukrainian control, warning that Russia could use such areas to launch future attacks.
Putin’s unexpected call with Trump last Thursday followed reports that Washington planned to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. These weapons can reach targets deep inside Russian territory.
Zelensky said the missile talks had forced Moscow to engage diplomatically. Despite leaving Washington without new commitments, he called the Tomahawk discussions a “strong investment in diplomacy.”
