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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump will not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the immediate future, despite earlier indications of a potential meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on October 21, with prior discussions involving meetings in Budapest, Hungary, and Washington, D.C.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call. Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” a senior White House official said.
🎯IMPACT: Trump had previously indicated on social media that the Budapest meeting would be the next step in his diplomatic efforts.
IN FULL
President Donald J. Trump will not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the foreseeable future, a senior White House official confirmed Tuesday. The decision comes despite earlier suggestions from Trump that a summit in Budapest, Hungary, could help move toward ending the war in Ukraine.
The announcement follows a phone call earlier this week between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The White House described the conversation as “productive,” and officials said it removed the need for any immediate in-person follow-up. “Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” the official stated.
Trump had previously indicated on social media that the Budapest meeting would be the next step in his diplomatic efforts. “President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed-upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ war, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end,” he wrote on October 16.
Last week, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Zelensky requested long-range Tomahawk missiles and other advanced military systems, which he believes are critical to striking Russia’s infrastructure. Trump has not made any public commitments to provide those weapons.
While the summit is now on hold, Trump emphasized his continued focus on peace efforts during a meeting with Republican lawmakers on Tuesday. “We’re working on number nine,” he said, referring to his broader push to resolve global conflicts. The administration has also proposed a trilateral summit including Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, and has pledged not to send U.S. troops to Ukraine under any peace agreement. In addition, the administration has authorized sharing intelligence with Ukraine on Russian energy infrastructure, a move aimed at helping Ukraine target Russia’s economic lifelines.
Meanwhile, a large fire broke out Monday night at Hungary’s Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, just south of Budapest. The facility, which processes primarily Russian crude oil, is one of the few in the EU still heavily reliant on Russian energy imports. Firefighters contained the blaze, and no injuries were reported, but investigators are examining whether the incident was accidental or deliberate.
The timing of the fire, amid sensitive geopolitical negotiations and multiple recent disruptions at regional refineries, has raised concerns of potential sabotage, similar to what occurred at the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in 2022. Last month, a Ukrainian national was arrested in Poland following an arrest warrant issued by Germany.
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