The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, stated that the meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled in Budapest, has not been canceled, but merely postponed to another time. According to Putin, the initiative to organize the summit and choose the meeting location came from the American side, and he agreed to these terms.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Positions of the parties regarding the summit’s postponement
Explaining his position, Putin noted that such negotiations between the leaders of the two countries must be carefully prepared to avoid unwarranted expectations. He emphasized that during the last phone conversation with Trump, the details of the upcoming meeting were discussed, and both sides expressed their thoughts regarding its outcomes.
“In the last phone conversation, both the meeting itself and its location were proposed by the American side. And I agreed to this, expressed my thoughts in this regard, and mentioned that, of course, such meetings need to be well prepared. For me and for the American president, it would be a mistake to approach this meeting lightly and to leave after this meeting without the expected result,” said Putin.
Earlier, Donald Trump announced that he decided to cancel the summit in Budapest due to the lack of prospects for achieving the desired outcome under the current conditions. Despite this, he did not rule out the possibility of organizing a meeting in the future when more favorable circumstances arise.
U.S. sanctions and the response of the Russian Federation
During a meeting with journalists, Putin also commented on the new U.S. sanctions against the Russian Federation, describing them as a “hostile act” by Washington. According to him, such actions by the American administration harm bilateral relations. Furthermore, Putin emphasized that significant investments and time would be required to replace Russian oil in the global market.
The U.S. recently expanded the sanctions list, including the largest oil companies in Russia—”Rosneft” and “Lukoil”—as well as their subsidiaries. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained this decision by the lack of serious commitment from the Russian Federation to peacefully resolve the situation in Ukraine.
Responding to journalists’ questions in Washington during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Donald Trump stated the need for further tightening of sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation.
Additionally, Putin threatened a “stunning response” to possible strikes with long-range weapons on Russian territory, emphasizing the seriousness of such actions.