Plans for a high-stakes dialogue between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have hit a snag, with officials from both nations confirming Tuesday that no meeting is imminent.
Last week, President Trump energized his base and alarmed critics by announcing a summit in Budapest “within two weeks.” This followed a Thursday phone call with Putin.
In response, US Secretary ofState Marco Rubio engaged in a “productive” phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Monday to discuss the logistics.
However, a US official speaking anonymously on Tuesday completely reset expectations. The official said no further diplomatic meeting was “necessary” and flatly stated there are “no plans” for a Trump-Putin meeting in the “immediate future.”
This sentiment was mirrored by the Kremlin, which announced there is “no precise timeframe” for such a meeting. This backtrack comes despite Trump’s boasts of his “personal chemistry” with Putin, which he claims could end the Ukraine war.