Trump–Putin summit may be delayed, allegedly due to preparatory meeting

According to CNN, citing an unnamed White House official, differing views on a possible end to the war are the reason for this.

Norwegens Generalstabschef Eirik Kristoffersen äußerte sich zu den sicherheitspolitischen Herausforderungen durch Washington und Moskau. Foto: Statement/Midjourney

The sample photo was created using artificial intelligence. Photo: Statement / Midjourney

The planned summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest could be postponed because a preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov has not yet taken place.

According to CNN, citing an unnamed White House representative, differing views on a possible end to the war are the reason for this.

Although the two ministers spoke on the phone on Monday and discussed further steps, CNN reports that a formal meeting has been put on hold for the time being. Russian diplomats described the phone call as constructive, while the US side was more cautious in its comments.

On Tuesday, however, Moscow rejected a report by CNN about a postponement of the meeting between the Russian and US foreign ministers. According to the TASS news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the date for such a meeting had not yet been agreed upon and required preparation.

Ryabkov explained that although the idea of such a meeting existed, Rubio and Lavrov had not discussed it specifically either before or during their telephone conversation.

“You can't postpone something that hasn't been agreed upon. We have not confirmed what some Western media outlets wrote yesterday. We didn't even have a rough idea of the time or place of such a meeting,”

Ryabkov told reporters.

President Trump repeatedly emphasizes his desire to achieve peace in Ukraine, but at the same time points out the complexity of the undertaking. The White House has not officially commented on the postponement of the talks. The press office of the Russian Foreign Ministry merely stated that “nothing that has not been officially agreed upon can be postponed.”

A date for the planned meeting between the two heads of state is not yet known. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that there is currently no idea when the summit might take place.

(reuters, sie)