U.S. President Donald Trump’s hopes for an imminent Ukraine summit with Vladimir Putin in Budapest have suffered a bitter setback. According to experts, there are already “differences” between the two sides during the preparation phase. CNN reported that a preliminary meeting between the presidents’ foreign policy advisers, originally scheduled for this week, has been postponed — at least for the time being.
Trump, whose peace plan calls for an immediate end to hostilities along the current front line as a starting point for future negotiations, had spoken with Putin by phone on Thursday and later announced that delegations — led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov — would meet in the Hungarian capital within days to begin preparations. EU Support for Trump’s Plan Trump’s plan has received “strong” support from several EU heads of state, as well as from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a joint statement released earlier.
“Differences” Between Rubio and Lavrov On Tuesday, however, CNN cited White House sources confirming that the meeting had been postponed. The reason given was “differences” between Rubio and Lavrov over the possible terms for ending the war in Ukraine. After a phone call between the two ministers on Monday, the U.S. side said that Lavrov had not budged from his “maximalist” demands. Previously, Russian officials had suggested they were ready for an immediate end to the war if they received full control of the Donbass region from Ukraine. Therefore, Rubio has reportedly not yet recommended that Trump and Putin meet as early as next week, though both sides remain open to continued ministerial-level discussions for now. Peskov:
“Much Work Still Needs to Be Done” The Kremlin also indicated that preparations were still in the early stages. While the Russian Foreign Ministry has not released an official statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that there is currently no date set for a meeting in Budapest. He added that “many questions remain unresolved” and that “much homework still needs to be done.” Peskov also criticized what he described as contradictory statements coming from Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that the time had come to end the war, while simultaneously rejecting any surrender of territories annexed by Russia.
Zelensky himself expressed willingness to take part in the announced meeting between Putin and Trump in Budapest, saying, “If I am invited to Budapest (...), we will agree on one format or another.” “Russia Is the Aggressor, Ukraine the Victim” The European Union warned against making concessions to the Kremlin. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that “pressuring the victim, Ukraine, is not the right way.”
Trump had reportedly suggested that Ukraine should cede the part of Donbass occupied by Russia. Speaking after an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg, Kallas emphasized, “We must not forget that Russia is the aggressor here, and Ukraine is the victim.” International Arrest Warrant Against Putin If the meeting does eventually take place, it would mark the first time since the war began that Putin visits a country that is both an EU and NATO member. Hungary has nonetheless guaranteed Putin protection from arrest, despite the international warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
