Trump-Putin Meeting in Hungary Cancelled Amid Rising Tensions

Washington: A scheduled meeting between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary has been canceled, according to media reports.

Sources say the decision came after tensions escalated during a series of phone calls between American and Russian negotiators. The meeting was originally set to take place in Budapest on Tuesday. Officials from both sides have confirmed that a new date for the meeting has not yet been announced.

The planned meeting was announced last week and was expected to focus on efforts to resolve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently had a phone conversation described as “constructive but inconclusive.”

Last week, President Trump had expressed readiness to meet Putin soon, following a phone call with the Russian leader. He said the goal was to make progress on ending the war in Ukraine. However, speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, Trump said he was not interested in a “pointless meeting.”

Read more: Trump: I Warned India’s Modi That Conflict With Pakistan Must Be Prevented

“No, no, I don’t want to waste time,” Trump said. “This is an evil war. They’re firing bullets and killing people. I believe Putin wants to end it. I believe Zelensky wants to end it. And I believe it’s going to end soon.”

It is worth noting that Trump and Putin last met in August in the U.S. state of Alaska. That meeting ended without any formal agreement, and ceasefire negotiations have since remained stalled.