“Productive” Call, But No Summit: US-Russia Meeting Postponed Indefinitely

A “productive” phone call between the top diplomats of the US and Russia on Monday has paradoxically led to the postponement of a presidential summit. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to arrange a meeting announced by President Trump.
Following that discussion, however, a Trump administration official confirmed Tuesday that an in-person meeting between the diplomats was “not necessary.” The official then added, “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”
This statement effectively retracts President Trump’s own social media post from last week. After a call with Putin on Thursday, Trump had informed the public that a summit would occur in Budapest within two weeks.
The Kremlin chimed in on Tuesday, supporting the new timeline. A spokesperson stated that there is “no precise timeframe” for any potential meeting between the two leaders.
This abrupt change marks the latest turbulence in Trump’s strategy, balancing his boasts of ending the Ukraine war via “personal chemistry” with Putin against the reality of ongoing conflict and his scheduled talks with Ukraine’s president about Tomahawk missiles.