US President Donald Trump has officially called off his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing Russia’s refusal to accept a ceasefire along the existing front line in Ukraine.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he had no intention of attending a “wasted meeting,” confirming earlier reports that the high-stakes summit, initially expected to hold in Budapest, had been postponed indefinitely.
A senior White House official also confirmed that there were “no plans for a Trump-Putin meeting in the immediate future,” following weeks of diplomatic exchanges that exposed major gaps between Washington and Moscow’s peace proposals.
The proposed meeting was part of renewed efforts by the Trump administration to broker a temporary ceasefire that would freeze the conflict at its current positions an idea supported by Kyiv and European allies, but rejected by the Kremlin.
Trump, who last met Putin in Alaska in August, said Russia’s new conditions had made peace negotiations nearly impossible.
“I said, cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people,” Trump told reporters, reiterating his position that halting combat where the front line currently stands would be the first step toward peace.
However, Moscow has maintained that it will not accept a frozen conflict.
Russia continues to demand full Ukrainian troop withdrawal from Donbas and legal recognition of Russian sovereignty over the region conditions flatly rejected by both Ukraine and Western nations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reinforced this stance, insisting Moscow was interested only in what he called a “long-term, sustainable peace,” not a temporary truce that ignores the “root causes” of the war.
A planned preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lavrov was also canceled, although the two held a “productive” phone discussion, according to the White House.
In response, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a joint statement condemning Moscow’s position, insisting that a ceasefire along the current battle line was “the beginning of diplomacy.” Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately avoiding meaningful talks.
Reports indicate that Trump’s last phone call with Putin, held shortly before his meeting with Zelensky, was pivotal. US sources said Trump had urged Ukraine to consider ceding parts of Donetsk and Luhansk a proposal Kyiv firmly rejected.
Meanwhile, speculation is growing that the US could soon supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, a move analysts say may have pressured Moscow into renewed diplomatic interest. Zelensky later said those weapons talks were “a strong investment in diplomacy,” even though Washington has yet to finalize any delivery.