Russia Says Putin-Trump Summit Still in Preparation, But No Date Set Yet
MOSCOW (Reuters): The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday (Oct 22) that preparations for a potential summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are still ongoing, although no date has been finalized. Officials from both sides stressed that neither leader wants to “waste time” on a poorly planned meeting.
Last week, Trump said after a phone call with Putin that a meeting could take place in Budapest soon, aimed at discussing ways to end the war in Ukraine. However, on Tuesday, Trump said he did not want to hold any meeting that would be a “waste of time,” while a White House official clarified there were no plans for an immediate Trump-Putin summit.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that while dates have yet to be determined, detailed preparation is essential.
“No one wants to waste time neither President Trump nor President Putin,” Peskov said, echoing Trump’s earlier remarks.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed that preparatory work for the summit is continuing and said he does not “see any major obstacles.” Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has offered to host the meeting in Budapest, also confirmed that preparations are ongoing.
Trump has repeatedly stated that his goal is to end the Ukraine war, the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, but despite high-level talks, including a summit with Putin in Alaska in August, a breakthrough remains elusive.
Russia currently controls over 116,000 square kilometers, or about 19% of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine and its European allies continue to call for an immediate ceasefire along current front lines, a position Trump publicly supported last Friday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Moscow, however, maintains that Ukraine must cede more land as part of any peace deal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Moscow’s conditions for peace have not changed since the last Putin-Trump summit in Anchorage.
“The elements of our position are well known to everyone,” Peskov said. “They are clearly formulated by our president.”
A planned meeting between Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which was supposed to take place later this week to prepare for the summit, has been postponed.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources, that Russia recently sent a private “non-paper” document to Washington reiterating its previous terms for peace. Ryabkov declined to confirm the report, dismissing it as “Western media speculation based on distorted information.”
— Voice of Malaysia News