Trump-Putin Summit Postponed Over Ceasefire Disagreement

The planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest has been postponed after Moscow rejected a proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, casting doubt on the prospects of the negotiation process. This was reported by Reuters, citing a senior White House official.

"There are no plans for a meeting between President Trump and President Putin in the near future," a White House official told Reuters. This announcement was preceded by a "productive phone call" between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after which, however, the parties decided to abandon a face-to-face meeting. That meeting was supposed to prepare for the presidents' summit.

Trump, commenting on the situation, told reporters that he did not want to have a "pointless meeting" but hinted that new developments were possible in the next two days.

The main reason for the summit's failure is Russia's uncompromising position. According to two US officials, Moscow sent an informal memorandum to Washington, reaffirming its long-standing conditions for peace. Specifically, Russia is demanding full control over the Donbas region, effectively rejecting Trump's proposal for a ceasefire along the current front line.

This situation has concerned European allies. The leaders of European powers, including Britain, France, and Germany, in a joint statement "strongly supported President Trump's position that military operations must cease immediately, and that the current line of contact should become the starting point for negotiations." NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte traveled to Washington to meet with Trump and present Europe's unified position on this issue.

European diplomats note that the postponement of the Rubio-Lavrov meeting is a sign that the American side is not ready to go to the summit until Moscow makes concessions. "I think the Russians wanted too much, and it became clear to the Americans that there would be no deal for Trump in Budapest," said one European diplomat.