Putin-Trump meeting shelved days after White House announced Budapest talks aimed at ending Ukraine war
The pair were set to meet in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the Ukraine war but talks will now not take place according to the White House
The White House has ruled out an in-person meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the near future, following a phone call between senior US and Russian officials earlier today.
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Last Thursday, it was revealed Mr Trump and Mr Putin would hold talks in Budapest regarding the war in Ukraine.
A White House official said: “Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call.
"Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future," they told NBC news.
The discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions over Moscow’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
Read More: Zelenskyy hails Trump meeting as 'positive' despite 'screaming match'
Another call between the two officials is expected “as soon as this week,” the official added.
Trump and Putin last met in Alaska in August for face-to-face talks.
The two leaders had agreed to hold a follow-up summit in Hungary, but reports now suggest that meeting is in doubt due to what US officials describe as Russia’s “unchanging stance” on the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described his reportedly tense meeting with Mr Trump last week as "positive", even though Ukraine did not secure the long-range missiles it had hoped for.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mr Zelensky said Mr Trump backed away from the possibility of sending the missiles after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place just hours before the two leaders met on Friday.
"In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them," Mr Zelenskyy said.
"After many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with him and his team, his message, in my view, is positive," he said, adding that Washington remained interested in economic deals with Kyiv.
The pair met in Washington on Friday, with White House talks described as descending into a "screaming match" as Mr Trump set out what he saw as a path to peace.
Reports suggest Zelenskyy, who had travelled to Washington to request increased US military support to fight Russia's war in Ukraine, was met with raised voices and condemnation by Trump and his cabinet as the pair discussed the war during a heated discussion.
It's reported Trump was also seen to spout Putin's rhetoric, echoing that the conflict was a "special operation" and "not even a war."
Trump is said to have even urged Zelenskyy to give up key areas of Ukraine and cave to Putin's demands.
It comes at a time when attacks on Kyiv continue to intensify, with Moscow escalating strikes across Ukraine, including on crucial energy infrastructure.