Trump-Putin Summit in Budapest Reportedly Put ‘On Hold’

Preparations for a highly anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, initially expected to take place in Budapest, Hungary, have reportedly been put “on hold,” according to several American media outlets citing unnamed officials.

A senior White House official told Reuters there are currently no plans for the two leaders to meet “in the immediate future.” Similarly, NBC’s White House correspondent Garrett Haake reported that the planning for the Budapest summit is now paused, quoting an anonymous senior source.

Haake noted on X (formerly Twitter) that an initial phone conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had been “productive.” However, he added that President Trump believes both sides are not yet adequately prepared for high-level talks. “POTUS believes both sides aren’t ready enough to talk to justify moving forward right now,” Haake wrote.

The developments come after a CNN report also cited unnamed sources claiming that the summit plans had been “tabled, at least for now.” That story sparked criticism from Russian officials, who dismissed the reports as misinformation.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov rejected the claims, saying that preparations for the “significant event” were still ongoing and labeled the media reports as “infodumps” aimed at disrupting the process. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the Western media, calling the anonymously sourced reports part of an “info-circus.”

Last week, both the Kremlin and the White House confirmed that discussions were underway for a summit in Budapest, following a phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin. However, neither side has officially announced a date for the meeting.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that “serious preparations are needed” and reiterated that no specific timeline had been set. “You’ve heard statements from both the American and Russian sides that this may take time,” he said.

Source: RT