US President Donald Trump has canceled his scheduled summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, stating he believes the talks would not produce meaningful outcomes at this time. The decision was announced during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday, where Trump claimed the planned gathering “did not feel right.” He added, “It did not feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get, so I canceled it.” Trump did not rule out future discussions with Putin but provided no details on potential dates or locations. The move comes after the US Treasury imposed new sanctions on Russia, targeting major oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil, while Trump expressed uncertainty about their impact on Moscow’s stance in the Ukraine conflict. He also criticized Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy, stating, “Hopefully he [Putin] will become reasonable, and hopefully [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelenskiy will be reasonable too.” Plans for the summit were initially announced following a phone call between Trump and Putin, though no specific date was set. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized the need for “serious preparations” ahead of any meeting, warning against wasting the opportunity for productive dialogue.
