The US has canceled the planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which was set to take place in Budapest. The reason for this decision was the receipt of a memorandum from Moscow containing strict demands regarding Ukraine, sources reported.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Details of the Russian Federation’s Demands
The document sent by the Russian Foreign Ministry to the American side included demands to eliminate the so-called “root causes” of the conflict. In particular, Moscow insisted on territorial concessions from Kyiv, a reduction in the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and guarantees that Ukraine would not join NATO. Additionally, Russia demanded control over the entire territory of Donbas.
Negotiations and Reactions from Both Sides
Following the receipt of the memorandum, a phone call took place between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. After the discussion, Rubio informed Donald Trump that Russia was not showing readiness for constructive negotiations. Sources indicate that the US President was “unimpressed” by Moscow’s position.
On October 22, Trump announced the cancellation of the meeting, explaining his decision as follows:
“I just felt it was wrong. I felt we wouldn’t get to the place we needed to get to. So I canceled it. But we will do it in the future,” said the US President.
For his part, Vladimir Putin stated that Trump “was rather talking about postponing” the meeting. According to the Russian leader, “Dialogue is always better than any confrontation, disputes, or even war.”