Trump-Putin summit cancelled over Moscow’s red lines
The proposed summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been called off, after the White House has been left dismayed by Moscow’s refusal to budge on the Ukraine war.
A preparatory meeting between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov expected in Budapest on Thursday has also been postponed due to differences in opinion on a ceasefire.
A White House official told Reuters news agency on Tuesday that there are no plans for the presidential summit in the “immediate future”.
European leaders have called on Mr Trump to demand an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine based on present battle lines. But Putin has been telling his US counterpart that he wants Kyiv to hand over the entirety of the Donbas.
Two senior European diplomats told Reuters the postponement of the Rubio-Lavrov meeting suggested the US is reluctant to carry out with a Trump-Putin summit unless Moscow yields from its maximalist demands.
Earlier in the day, Russia had admitted it has “no idea” when a highly-anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin will take place.
