The second meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which had been scheduled to take place in Budapest, was canceled after Russia sent Washington a diplomatic memorandum containing harsh demands regarding Ukraine. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources in Washington.
Source: Bukvy
According to the publication, the Kremlin demanded territorial concessions, a reduction of the Ukrainian army, and guarantees that Ukraine would never join NATO. These conditions were outlined in a diplomatic note sent via Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after which the Budapest summit was canceled.
At the same time, there was a tense phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. According to sources, Rubio informed Trump that Russia “showed no readiness for genuine negotiations.” The U.S. President, in turn, said he was “not impressed by their position.”
The decision to cancel the meeting marked a sharp shift in Washington’s policy — less than a week after Trump had abandoned plans to supply Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk missiles to give diplomacy a chance. Now, doubts are growing within the White House about the possibility of progress with Moscow without a change in its stance.
According to the FT, during his meeting with Rubio in New York, Lavrov repeated propagandistic claims about “Nazis in Ukraine,” further fueling skepticism in Washington. One source told the paper: “Lavrov looked exhausted and acted as if he had more important matters than dialogue with the U.S. — regardless of Putin’s wishes.”
Despite the summit’s collapse, Trump remains open to future negotiations “if real signs of progress appear.” He confirmed that his phone call with Putin on October 16 was “very productive,” though he was reportedly irritated by the Kremlin’s boasting about Russian military gains near Kupiansk and the Oskil River.
The Russian bridgehead west of the Oskil, which Putin tried to make a bargaining chip, remains one of the main hotspots of fighting. For Kyiv, however, the refusal to surrender any territory remains absolutely unacceptable.