— I don't want to have a wasted meeting. “I don't want time wasted, so I'll see what happens,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. When asked by a journalist, he assured that he did not say that a meeting with Putin would be a waste of time.
— I think Putin wants this to end. I think Zelensky wants this to end. And I think this will end,” Trump added.
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Has Donald Trump decided to meet Putin?
What are the White House's plans for Trump's meeting with Putin?
When is Trump expected to announce his decision on the meeting?
What did Trump say about the chances of a ceasefire in Ukraine?
He stated that he had not yet made a decision regarding the meeting with Putin and announced that he would inform him within two days what would happen next. He also assessed that there was a chance for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
He also said that he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and assured that he also wants to end the war in Ukraine. Trump said India would not buy “too much” oil from Russia.
White House: No plans to meet
Earlier on Tuesday, a White House official told the media that “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the near future.”
“Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a fruitful conversation. Therefore, an additional personal meeting between the secretary and the foreign minister is not necessary and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the near future,” a White House representative told PAP.
Wall Street Journal sources reported that Monday's conversation between the US and Russian foreign ministers showed that the Kremlin remains unchanged. After that call, Rubio, who is also the president's national security adviser, notified other White House officials that holding a Trump-Putin summit in the near future would most likely not produce positive results for peace negotiations.
Trump announced last week, after his telephone conversation with Putin, that he would meet him in Budapest. It was announced that the meeting could take place within two weeks.
