Trump doesn’t want ‘wasted meeting’ with Putin as he confirms talks on Ukraine war are off for now

President Donald Trump said yesterday [Macau time] his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he didn’t want it to be a “waste of time.” It was the latest twist in Trump’s stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine.

The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“I don’t want to have a wasted meeting,” Trump said. “I don’t want to have a waste of time — so we’ll see what happens.”

Lavrov made clear in public comments Tuesday that Russia is opposed to an immediate ceasefire. Trump, meanwhile, has been shifting his stance all year on key issues in the war, including whether a ceasefire should come before longer-term peace talks, and whether Ukraine could win back land seized by Russia during almost four years of fighting.

Trump’s hesitancy in meeting Putin will likely come as a relief to European leaders, who have accused Putin of stalling for time.