Trump Shelves Planned Meeting with Putin, Calls Potential Summit ‘a Waste of Time’

US President Donald Trump has postponed a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he did not want a “wasted meeting” amid ongoing uncertainty over efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war.

The decision marks a reversal just days after Trump announced plans to meet Putin in Budapest within two weeks, following what he had described as a productive phone call aimed at finding a resolution to the war.

A White House official confirmed on Tuesday that “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” despite the earlier announcement.

“I don’t want to have a wasted meeting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked why the encounter had been put on hold. “I don’t want to have a waste of time, so I’ll see what happens.”

Pressed further on what prompted the change, Trump replied,

“A lot of things are happening on the war front. We’ll be notifying you over the next two days as to what we’re doing.”

The move also led to the cancellation of a planned preparatory discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who had been expected to coordinate logistics for the Budapest summit.

‘Talks Going in Circles’

Trump has long emphasized his personal rapport with Putin as a potential path to peace, but according to diplomatic sources, the US leader has grown increasingly frustrated with the Russian president’s stance.

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Trump’s recent meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington was “not easy,” describing diplomatic efforts as being “dragged out” and “going in circles.”

The same source claimed Trump pressured Zelensky to consider ceding the Donbas region — comprising Lugansk and Donetsk — to Russia in exchange for peace.

“Yes, that’s true,” the official said when asked if Trump urged Ukraine to withdraw from some territories still under its control.

Zelensky reportedly left Washington without securing approval for Tomahawk missiles and was instead pressed to negotiate directly with Moscow.

Ukraine, however, has repeatedly rejected the idea of giving up any part of its territory, insisting that the Donbas remains an inseparable part of the nation.

International Reaction

The Kremlin confirmed Tuesday that there was “no precise date” for a new Trump–Putin meeting. The two leaders last met in Alaska in August but failed to reach a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, European leaders — including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and Britain’s Keir Starmer — issued a joint statement reaffirming support for Ukraine and calling on Russia to engage in “serious” peace efforts.

“We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,” the statement said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Tuesday for talks with Trump, while EU leaders plan to reaffirm their backing for Kyiv at a Brussels summit on Thursday, followed by a “coalition of the willing” meeting in London the next day.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has left tens of thousands dead and devastated much of the country. Moscow currently occupies around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, with the front lines largely stalled.

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