Hopes for a quick summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin have been dashed following a “productive” phone call between their top diplomats. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on Monday to discuss arrangements.
Following that call, a Trump administration official confirmed Tuesday that an in-person meeting between the diplomats is “not necessary.” Crucially, the official added, “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”
This clarification deflates President Trump’s own announcement from last week. After a call with Putin on Thursday, Trump posted on social media that he would be meeting the Russian leader in Budapest within two weeks.
The Kremlin confirmed the ambiguity on Tuesday, stating there is “no precise timeframe” for any such summit. The mixed signals highlight the volatile nature of US-Russia dialogue.
This diplomatic episode unfolds against a complex backdrop. Trump was scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss providing Tomahawk missiles, which are capable of striking deep into Russia, even as he simultaneously pursued dialogue with Putin.