Now Trump won’t meet with Putin on Ukraine, White House official says

After much anticipation, it has been confirmed by a White House official that there are no immediate plans for President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet in the near future. This announcement comes after Trump had previously stated that a summit between the two leaders was expected to take place in Hungary within the next couple of weeks.

The decision to call off the summit was made following discussions among senior advisers on both sides. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently held a phone call, but it is unlikely that they will meet in person at this time.

According to the White House official, the call between Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov was productive, eliminating the need for an in-person meeting between the two officials. As a result, there are no current plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin downplayed the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Putin, stating that no date had been set for a summit. A spokesperson for Putin remarked, “You can’t postpone what was not scheduled.”

Despite the setback in scheduling a meeting with Putin, President Trump remains focused on resolving the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Following his recent diplomatic achievements in the Middle East, Trump has renewed efforts to bring an end to the conflict, which has been ongoing for over three and a half years.

During a recent phone call with Putin and a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, little progress was made in resolving the conflict. Zelenskyy had hoped to secure U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles to aid Ukraine in the conflict, but the Trump administration has not yet provided them.

Although the meeting between Trump and Putin has been called off, Zelenskyy remains optimistic and has expressed interest in potentially joining the summit in the future. Trump has continued to advocate for the end of the war along current battle lines, denying reports that he requested Ukraine surrender the Donbas region to Russia.

As the situation remains unresolved, it is clear that the U.S. and Russia are still far apart on how to bring an end to the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov emphasized the need to address the root causes of the conflict, suggesting that halting discussions may not lead to a resolution.

The decision to postpone the second Trump-Putin summit underscores the complex nature of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the challenges in finding a peaceful resolution. Despite the setback, efforts to end the conflict continue as both sides seek a path towards lasting peace.