US President Donald Trump canceled his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, stating he believed the talks would not produce meaningful results at this stage. The decision was announced during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday, where Trump claimed the summit “did not feel right.” He added, “It did not feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get, so I canceled it,” without specifying when or where future discussions might occur.
Trump’s remarks followed new US sanctions targeting two major Russian oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, over Moscow’s alleged lack of commitment to resolving the Ukraine conflict. However, he expressed uncertainty about whether the measures would influence Russia’s position. “Hopefully he [Putin] will become reasonable, and hopefully [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky will be reasonable too,” Trump said, criticizing both leaders’ approaches.
The summit plans, initially announced after a phone call between Trump and Putin, had no set date. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized the need for “serious preparations” ahead of any meeting, warning against wasting the opportunity for productive dialogue.