Trump Scraps Meeting with Putin After Russia Proves Unwilling to Seek Peace
The White House announced Tuesday that President Trump has called off plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a recent diplomatic exchange failed to show Russia was serious about ending the conflict in Ukraine. Officials said a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made clear the gap. The war has now gone on for more than three years and shows no sign of stopping while Moscow doubles down on its objectives.
President Trump had earlier spoken with Putin and arranged for Secretary Rubio and Lavrov to lay groundwork for a possible summit in Budapest. The administration framed that as a chance to pressure Russia into concrete steps toward peace. Instead, the Russian responses in the call suggested they are not aligned with the framework the U.S. put forward.
According to an official familiar with the situation, the Russians demonstrated a lack of willingness to align themselves with Trump’s plan for peace between Ukraine and Russia. The stalled talks and continued military pressure convinced White House advisers the in-person summit would be premature. With no sign that Moscow would shift course, the administration moved to shelve an immediate meeting.
“Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call,” a White House official told The New York Post on Tuesday. “Therefore, an additional-in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.” The statement underscores that diplomacy needs tangible movement, not just talking points.
The decision came one day after Trump and Putin spoke on the phone and shortly before the White House held a third meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That session focused on whether to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, a clear signal the U.S. is weighing tougher leverage to push Russia toward negotiation. After the meeting with Zelensky, officials did not announce a definitive decision about delivering those weapons.
So far, Russian officials have offered statements about seeking peace with this administration but have continued offensive operations on the ground. Those mixed signals undermine trust and complicate the prospect of any fast-track agreement. The U.S. is left balancing pressure and diplomacy while Ukrainian cities keep getting hit.
President Trump captured the frustration many feel about the pattern of dialogue followed by violence when he reflected on his talks with Putin in August. “Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation. And then unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and then I get very angry about it.” That blunt observation explains why the White House demands actions that match promises.
The administration is making clear it will not let photo-ops substitute for results. Canceling a summit sends a signal: meetings are earned, not granted, and concessions must be real and verifiable. That posture aims to protect American interests and support Ukraine without rewarding empty commitments from Moscow.
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