A planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary has been postponed, with no new date announced, according to US and Russian officials. Preparations for the potential summit in Budapest were put on hold following a phone conversation earlier this week between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Officials described the call as “constructive but inconclusive,” indicating that further work is needed before a meeting can take place.
Trump had expressed his willingness to meet Putin following a phone call with the Russian leader last week, aiming to seek a breakthrough in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the US president told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that he did not want to hold “a wasted meeting,” according to Xinhua News Agency.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the timing of any possible summit is undecided, emphasising that “serious preparation” would be required before the leaders could meet. Despite the delay, Russia’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said late Tuesday on his X account that preparations continue and that the summit has not been cancelled.
The postponement has come after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. During that meeting, Trump ruled out the possibility of a trilateral summit involving Russia, citing deep tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump and Putin previously met in Alaska in August, but no agreement was reached, and ceasefire negotiations remain stalled. On October 16, Trump announced that he would restart efforts to end the “inglorious” Russia-Ukraine war and confirmed his plans to meet Putin.
Following a recent phone conversation with Putin, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.” He also stated that he would discuss the details of his conversation with Zelensky. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the telephone talk between Trump and Putin took place and acknowledged ongoing communications between the two leaders.
While the summit’s timing is uncertain now, both US and Russian officials have indicated that discussions are continuing and that future coordination on the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains a priority.
