In a shocking development, the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that was supposed to be held in Budapest, has now been cancelled, reported Financial Times. It stated that the meet was cancelled due to Putin’s firm stance on demands relating to Ukraine.
Citing people familiar with the matter, FT said two top diplomats of the US and Russia held a tense phone call, after which the meeting was cancelled. As of now, no official remarks has come from any side. The two leaders previously held a summit in Alaska on August 15. However, since then, nothing positive has come out for the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
The two leaders planned to meet in Budapest was earlier put on hold after Moscow stuck to several demands, including that Ukraine must give more territory as a condition for a ceasefire. As for the latest, according to Reuters, Trump supports Ukraine’s call for an immediate ceasefire on current lines.
A Russian memo the bone of contention?
FT reported that when the two leaders agreed to meet in the Hungarian capital to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war, the Russian foreign ministry reportedly had sent a memo to Washington. The memo, FT stated, stressed the same demands to address what Putin calls the “root causes” of his invasion.
These include – territorial concessions, a steep reduction of Ukraine’s armed forces and guarantees it will never join NATO, the FT added. Ukraine recently stated it was ready for peace talks, but added that it will not withdraw its troops from additional territory.
Then, the US axed the summit after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call. Rubio had said that Russia was showing no willingness to negotiate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this month that while Ukraine is ready for peace talks, it will not withdraw its troops from additional territory first as Moscow demanded.