Trump-Putin Budapest Summit Postponed Amid Shifting Ukraine War Strategy

US President Donald Trump's anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been put on hold, according to a US official speaking on Tuesday. This represents the latest development in Trump's fluctuating efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

The summit, which was announced last week and scheduled to take place in Budapest, Hungary, has been postponed following discussions between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The official who provided this information requested anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly.

The decision to delay the Trump-Putin meeting will likely be welcomed by European leaders, who have accused Putin of using diplomatic talks as a stalling tactic while attempting to make battlefield gains in Ukraine.

European leadership—including the British Prime Minister, French President, and German Chancellor—have expressed opposition to any proposals requiring Ukraine to surrender territory captured by Russian forces in exchange for peace, an idea Trump has occasionally suggested.

These leaders also intend to proceed with plans to utilize billions in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's defense efforts, despite concerns about the legal implications and potential consequences of such actions.

Trump has not made any public statements regarding the change in plans. His previous meeting with Putin in Alaska in August failed to advance his efforts to end the nearly four-year-old conflict.

The Kremlin appears in no rush to schedule another meeting. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Tuesday that "serious preparation" would be necessary before any summit could take place.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been working to strengthen Ukraine's position by requesting long-range Tomahawk missiles from the United States, though Trump has been inconsistent regarding their provision.

"We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace," Zelenskyy stated Tuesday in a Telegram post.

He observed that Putin engaged in diplomacy and contacted Trump when it appeared Tomahawk missiles might be supplied. However, "as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue," according to Zelenskyy.

Trump's position on the conflict has evolved throughout the year. Initially focusing on pressuring Ukraine to make concessions, he later became frustrated with Putin's unwillingness to compromise. Trump frequently expresses disappointment that his relationship with Putin has not facilitated an easier resolution to the war.

Last month, Trump reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would need to cede territory, suggesting instead that Ukraine might reclaim all lost territory. However, after speaking with Putin last week and subsequently meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his stance again, urging both sides to "stop where they are" in the ongoing conflict.

On Sunday, Trump suggested that Ukraine's eastern industrial Donbas region should be "cut up," with most remaining under Russian control.

While Trump stated Monday that he believes Ukraine could potentially defeat Russia, he expressed doubts about this outcome.

Ukrainian and European leaders continue their efforts to maintain Trump's support.

"We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations," the leaders' statement affirmed. "We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction."

Russia currently occupies approximately one-fifth of Ukraine. Officials in Kyiv consider dividing their country in exchange for peace unacceptable.

Additionally, Ukrainian and European officials fear that freezing the conflict along the current front line could allow Russia to use occupied territories as staging grounds for future attacks.

The joint statement from the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark, and EU officials was released during what Zelenskyy described Monday as a "very active" diplomatic week.

Additional economic sanctions against Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

"We must ramp up the pressure on Russia's economy and its defense industry, until Putin is ready to make peace," Tuesday's statement emphasized.

A meeting of the Coalition of the Willing—a group of 35 countries supporting Ukraine—is scheduled to take place in London on Friday.