On Tuesday, a senior official from the White House informed that President Donald Trump does not intend to have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This announcement follows recent comments from Trump suggesting a potential meeting with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, scheduled for the upcoming weeks. Before this, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this week.
The official noted that “Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive phone discussion. Thus, there’s no immediate need for a face-to-face between the two, nor are there any current plans for President Trump to engage with President Putin,” which was a bit surprising considering Trump’s earlier indications.
Trump had indicated that the Rubio-Lavrov discussion could be a lead-in to higher-level talks.
Interestingly, Trump also referenced a desire to address the conflict in Ukraine directly with Putin. He mentioned, “Hungary, do what you can to put an end to this ‘disgraceful’ war between Russia and Ukraine.” He further added that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would have discussions in the Oval Office regarding their conversation with Putin, claiming there was notable progress made during their call.
Last week, during his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump was asked to consider providing Ukraine with powerful defense weapons such as Tomahawk missiles. These missiles, if supplied, could significantly enhance Ukraine’s military operations against Russian targets.
However, it’s worth noting that after this meeting, Trump didn’t mention any commitment to supply the requested weapons, which left some wondering about the outcome.
Despite this, Trump reiterated his dedication to promoting peace in Ukraine. During a lunch with GOP lawmakers at the White House, he remarked on his track record of achieving peace in multiple conflicts since taking office, adding humorously, “We’re working on number nine.”
