Russia scrambled on Wednesday to salvage the possibility of in-person talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after Trump abruptly announced that the planned meeting was being paused. The talks, which were expected to take place in Hungary in the coming weeks, have now been thrown into uncertainty following disagreements over the war in Ukraine.
Trump said on Tuesday that he did not want to have “a wasted meeting” with Putin, signaling frustration with Moscow’s refusal to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
“I don’t want to have a waste of time — so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said, following a phone call on Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
After that call, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that Russia’s stance on Ukraine remained unchanged since Trump and Putin last met in Alaska in August. While reiterating that Moscow wanted “a lasting and sustainable peace,” Lavrov made clear that Russia opposed an immediate ceasefire, calling it meaningless without long-term guarantees.
Following Trump’s remarks, the Kremlin sought to downplay tensions, insisting that no official date had been set for the meeting in Budapest but that preparations were still underway.
“This is yet to be done. Careful preparation is needed before then. Time is needed for that,” said Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary. “There’s no news yet; it’s clear that all of this is surrounded by a lot of gossip, rumors, and so on. For the most part, they are completely untrue.”
A Pattern of Shifting U.S. Policy
The suspension of talks appears to mark another policy reversal from the Trump administration, which has repeatedly shifted its position on Russia, Ukraine, and potential peace efforts throughout 2025.
In Moscow, the mood was a mix of satisfaction and cynicism. Russian state media highlighted Ukraine’s failed in-person meeting with Trump last week, portraying it as evidence of Washington’s waning commitment to Kyiv.
The U.S.-Ukraine meeting, held at the White House on October 17, reportedly ended without progress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left Washington without securing the long-range Tomahawk missiles he had requested and with growing fears that the U.S. could pressure Ukraine to concede territory in eastern Ukraine, where fighting continues.
Those concerns intensified after Trump’s weekend comments aboard Air Force One, where he suggested that the partially Russian-occupied Donbas region should effectively remain divided.
“It’s cut up right now, I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia,” Trump said. “They should stop right now at the battle lines... Go home, stop killing people and be done.”
The Road Ahead
The uncertainty surrounding the postponed Trump-Putin meeting underscores the fragile state of U.S.-Russia diplomacy amid a grinding war that shows few signs of resolution. While the Kremlin continues to emphasize preparation and diplomacy, Washington appears increasingly wary of engaging without a clear path toward peace.
If revived, the Budapest summit could become a critical moment in shaping the next phase of the Ukraine conflict — determining whether the U.S. and Russia can find common ground or whether tensions will continue to escalate in an already volatile geopolitical landscape.