WASHINGTON, Oct 22: Donald Trump said he did not want a “wasted meeting” with Vladimir Putin after plans for face-to-face talks on the Ukraine war were halted, the BBC reported. He suggested Moscow’s refusal to stop fighting along the current front line was the main obstacle.
A White House official said there were “no plans” for such a meeting soon, contradicting Trump’s earlier remark that the two leaders would meet in Budapest within two weeks. The delay highlighted growing differences between the US and Russian peace proposals. Their last meeting in Alaska in August ended without results, and the White House move appeared aimed at avoiding another failed summit, the BBC said.
Russia “wanted too much” from the talks, according to a senior European diplomat quoted by Reuters, the BBC noted. A planned meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was dropped after the two had what officials called a “productive” call.
Trump seeks US-Russia-Ukraine summit after Putin meeting fails...
Meanwhile, Trump backed a ceasefire plan supported by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict along current lines, saying, “Stop fighting, stop killing people.” Moscow rejected the idea and demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from eastern regions, the BBC added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s position “doesn’t change,” while Lavrov argued that freezing the front line would only create a temporary truce, the BBC reported. He said any peace must address the “root causes,” referring to Russia’s demand for full control of Donbas and Ukraine’s demilitarisation—conditions rejected by Kyiv and its allies.
European leaders and President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a joint statement calling to start talks based on the current front line and accusing Russia of not being “serious” about peace. Zelensky described the front-line discussion as the “beginning of diplomacy” and said only Western arms supplies could make Moscow listen, according to the BBC.
Trump reportedly discussed the Budapest summit with Putin before meeting Zelensky in Washington, the BBC reported. Sources said the conversation between Trump and Zelensky became heated, with Trump urging territorial concessions in the Donbas.
Zelensky has repeatedly rejected surrendering any part of the region, warning that Russia could use it for future offensives. Putin’s unexpected call to Trump last week came amid reports that Washington was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. Zelensky said that the discussion had pushed Russia to engage, calling it a “strong investment in diplomacy,” the BBC said.
