Doubts emerge over Trump-Putin Budapest summit

Concerns are growing about the likelihood of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussing a ceasefire in Ukraine quickly.

Moscow made an appearance on Tuesday, downplaying the possibility of a summit, claiming that there is “no precise time frame” and that preparations for a meeting between Russia’s and the US “could take time.”

Prior to this, reports in the American media suggested that Moscow and Washington disagreed on the need for a resolution to the conflict.

Trump’s claim that the meeting could take place in Budapest was questioned by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stated to reporters that there is “no understanding” in Moscow regarding a possible date.

Peskov claimed that “no precise timeframe was initially set for this situation.” “Serious preparation is required,” the saying goes.

Reports that a planned preparatory meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart Marco Rubio won’t take place this week also sour the prospects for a near-term summit.

Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, called the pre-meeting details “premature” on Tuesday.

On Monday, Lavrov and Rubio spoke via phone, and their conversation may have caused some expectations to differ.

According to CNN, their meeting has been “tabled, at least for the moment,” according to a source who cited informed sources. One source also cited US concern that Moscow is sticking to a “maximalist stance” regarding the terms of a ceasefire.

Lavrov continued to defend the report as “unscrupulous” despite the assertion that Moscow’s position hasn’t changed since Trump and Putin met with Putin in Alaska two months ago.

According to Lavrov, “Russia has not altered its position in light of the agreements reached at the Alaska summit.”

He added that Rubio had received this information from him directly.

The next Trump-Putin summit, which Trump announced after a phone call with Putin on October 16 in Russia, had less of an impact on how the two parties agreed to work together in Alaska, according to the Russian diplomat.

Putin stated at the summit that while putting an end to the war, the “primary causes” of the conflict must be eliminated for a lasting solution.

Prior to now, Moscow’s “primary causes” included demands for territory, Ukraine’s “neutrality,” and the destruction of its military might.

Putin chooses to use violence, continues.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, and a number of European leaders criticized Moscow for dragging its feet in efforts to end world peace while continuing to “violence and destroy” its neighbor.

In a joint statement released by Zelenskyy and eight other European leaders, “Russia’s stalling tactics have demonstrated repeatedly that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace.” Putin continues to choose between violence and destruction, according to the statement.

Trump, who has promised to end the war quickly but failed to get specific concessions from Moscow, faces yet another setback from the summit delay.

Trump has most recently urged freezing of the current battle lines as a starting point for negotiations after months of resonant messages.

Both Zelenskyy and European leaders have embraced that position.

However, Putin has rejected numerous requests for a ceasefire and has kept a list of extreme demands, including significant territorial concessions, outlawed by Kyiv.