Despite recent high-level diplomatic contacts between Washington and Moscow, no immediate meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled, a US official confirmed Tuesday. The announcement contradicts Trump’s recent social media declaration that the two leaders would meet in Budapest within two weeks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by telephone Monday in what was intended to be a planning session for a presidential summit. However, American officials have now determined that no additional in-person meeting between the foreign ministers is necessary, and no near-term Trump-Putin gathering is planned.
The US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, characterized the Monday telephone exchange as “productive,” suggesting substantive discussions occurred. The Kremlin has also downplayed expectations for an imminent summit, with Russian officials stating Tuesday that no “precise timeframe” exists for arranging a meeting between Trump and Putin.
The diplomatic uncertainty began last Thursday following a telephone conversation between Trump and Putin that the American president initially portrayed as a breakthrough. Trump’s interpretation of the call prompted him to announce on social media that he would meet Putin within two weeks in Budapest, an announcement made just before his scheduled discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about potentially providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.
Trump’s approach to Putin has been marked by abrupt policy changes, including the August decision to welcome Putin to Alaska for his first visit to Western territory since ordering the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Despite Trump’s previous claims that his personal chemistry with Putin would allow him to end the war within a day of returning to the White House, he has recently acknowledged experiencing frustrations with the Russian president.
