— Russia and the United States have not agreed on specific dates for the summit in Budapest, so it is inappropriate to talk about canceling the talks, Dmitry Peskov, the press spokesman for the Russian president, said in an interview in the “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” program, quoted by TASS.
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Why wasn't the Budapest summit canceled?
What are the reasons for the lack of dates for the US-Russia talks?
What is Russia's attitude towards the ceasefire in Ukraine?
Is a meeting with Putin completely out of the question?
He also noted that “not everyone wants this summit to take place.” According to Peskov, at this stage Russia and the US only know that it is worth organizing a meeting in Budapest and the topic is not closed.
What about the talks between Russia and the US? No specifics
On Tuesday, the White House announced that – contrary to previous announcements – it is not planning a meeting of the leaders of the US and Russia in the near future. However, President Trump later suggested that he had not made a final decision.
The reason for the potential cancellation of the summit was said to be differences in the positions of the US and Russia on ending the war in Ukraine. Kremlin representatives have made it clear in recent days that Moscow's position has not changed and, contrary to Trump's calls, they are against a ceasefire.
— 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.
A day later, Trump announced sanctions on Russia. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that a meeting with the Russian leader is not completely ruled out, but the US president has concluded that Russia does not currently show sufficient interest in peace.
