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The White House has clarified that there are “no plans” for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “in the immediate future,” despite recent speculation surrounding a possible summit in Hungary. The announcement followed a phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.

The clarification comes just days after Trump said that he and Putin were preparing to meet in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, the White House’s latest statement signals that such talks are on hold for now.

Russia Says Its Position Unchanged

During Monday’s call, Lavrov reportedly told Rubio that Moscow’s stance “remains unchanged” from the understandings reached during the Alaska summit earlier this year. “I want to officially confirm: Russia has not changed its position compared to the understandings that were reached during the Alaska summit,” Lavrov said, according to Russian media.

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also emphasised the need for “serious preparation” before any potential Trump-Putin summit, noting that “there is no sense of urgency” in setting a date. The remark appears to downplay Trump’s earlier claims of an imminent meeting, suggesting that Moscow may be cautious about entering talks without concrete progress behind the scenes.

Diplomatic Confusion And Caution

A preparatory meeting between Rubio and Lavrov had initially been expected to take place this week, but the White House later confirmed that their phone conversation sufficed. Officials declined to elaborate on why the in-person talks were cancelled, though analysts believe it reflects ongoing uncertainty over the objectives and terms of a potential Trump-Putin summit.

This development adds to the series of mixed signals surrounding Trump’s diplomatic approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to “end the war quickly,” his suggestions that Ukraine might need to cede territory to Russia have drawn sharp criticism from Kyiv and European leaders.

Kyiv Accuses Putin Of Stalling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using diplomacy to buy time for further military operations. “As soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday on Telegram.

He added that “only pressure will lead to peace,” stressing that Ukraine and its allies “remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.”

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