Summit Shelved: No “Immediate” Trump-Putin Meeting, Says US Official

A US official confirmed Tuesday that President Donald Trump has no immediate plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. This statement came just days after Trump himself announced the two leaders would meet in Budapest within two weeks.
The clarification followed a telephone call on Monday between US Secretary ofState Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The call was initiated after Trump’s surprise summit announcement.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the call between the top diplomats as “productive.” However, the official stressed, “An additional in-person meeting between the secretary and foreign minister is not necessary.”
Crucially, the Trump administration source added, “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”
The Kremlin echoed this sentiment on Tuesday, stating that there is currently “no precise timeframe” established for any potential summit. This reversal comes after Trump’s call with Putin last Thursday, which he hailed as “progress,” and as he was set to meet Ukraine’s President Zelensky to discuss Tomahawk missiles.