Plans for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been shelved just days after Trump proposed holding talks in Budapest to address the ongoing war in Ukraine, a White House official confirmed.
Trump previously stated that he and Putin would meet within two weeks in the Hungarian capital. The two leaders last met in August in Anchorage, Alaska, where they discussed the conflict. However, despite those intentions, the White House now says there are “no plans” for another meeting “in the immediate future.”
A preparatory meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, originally expected to happen this week, has also been canceled. The White House said the two officials had a “productive” phone conversation, making an in-person meeting “no longer necessary.” No further explanation was given for the cancellation.
The proposed summit in Budapest had been discussed during a phone call between Trump and Putin, which took place just a day before Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
Reports from that meeting suggest tensions were high. Some sources described it as a “shouting match,” claiming Trump had pressured Zelensky to concede significant territory in eastern Ukraine to Russia as part of a potential peace deal.
Despite those reports, Trump on Monday voiced support for a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and several European leaders, which would freeze the conflict along the current front line.
“Let it be cut the way it is,” Trump said, signaling support for the status quo.
Moscow, however, has consistently opposed freezing the front line. Lavrov responded Tuesday by saying Russia was seeking a “long-term, sustainable peace,” and argued that halting the conflict now would merely result in a temporary ceasefire.
Lavrov insisted the “root causes” of the war needed to be addressed—a phrase often used by Russian officials to refer to demands that include Ukraine’s demilitarization and the recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Donbas. These conditions remain unacceptable to Kyiv and its Western allies.
President Zelensky called discussions around the current front line the “beginning of diplomacy,” but accused Russia of “doing everything to avoid diplomacy.” He also stated that the only issue that seems to compel Russia to engage in talks is the prospect of Ukraine receiving long-range weaponry.
Putin’s unexpected call to Trump last Thursday coincided with reports that the U.S. was considering sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine—munitions capable of striking deep into Russian territory.
Zelensky suggested it was the threat of those weapons that had pushed Russia to open dialogue, calling the move a “strong investment in diplomacy.”
