President Donald Trump has called off a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, due to a perceived lack of progress toward achieving peace, according to the White House. Still, the door for a future summit remains open.
The two leaders had a phone conversation on October 16, but plans for their meeting fell through after Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt mentioned on Thursday that President Trump “unfortunately feels there hasn’t been enough action lately to move things forward toward peace.” She continued, “While a meeting isn’t off the table, we want there to be a tangible, positive outcome—something that’s worth the President’s time.”
In recent days, Trump has shown increasing impatience with Russia, marking a shift in his administration’s stance by imposing heavy sanctions on the country’s two largest oil firms. These sanctions effectively freeze any U.S.-related assets held by those companies and prohibit American citizens from engaging in business with them.
In response, Putin characterized the sanctions as “unfriendly” and cautioned that they could lead to higher global oil prices; however, he asserted that they wouldn’t severely affect Russia’s economy.
Trump has previously described his communications with Putin as pleasant but has voiced frustration over stagnant efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict. Notably, he stated in Hungary that he doesn’t want “pointless meetings” with the Russian leader.
Levitt reiterated that Trump is eager for real action, not merely dialogue. “The president is committed to achieving a successful peace deal in the Middle East and ending this war,” she said. She added that he’s growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress.
Trump has also reached out to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to discuss ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
During a recent news briefing, Trump expressed that a meeting with Putin “didn’t feel right,” and he reconsidered his earlier suggestion of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. He explained the complexities involved, mentioning the extensive training required to operate such powerful weapons. “It takes a year of intensive training to learn how to use it,” he noted.
On another note, Trump has raised doubts regarding Ukraine’s ability to defeat Russia. “They could still win. I don’t think so, but they could still win,” he remarked to reporters.
