WASHINGTON
A meeting between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that the US president said would happen within two weeks is now not likely to take place anytime soon, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday.
The official said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a “productive” call on Monday, but a planned sit down between the top diplomats that was to transpire this week “is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”
On Oct. 16, following a phone call with Putin, Trump announced plans to meet the Russian president in Budapest, Hungary within two weeks, and said Lavrov and Rubio would meet this week to iron out the details for the meeting.
Lavrov told reporters Tuesday that he talked with Rubio during Monday’s call about how best to prepare for another potential presidential meeting proposed by Trump in Budapest.
“The location isn’t the most important factor here, although it’s significant given the current political climate where certain parties oppose viewing the European Union as a union of sovereign states, preferring instead centralized decision-making through Brussels bureaucracy,” he said.
He stressed that what matters most is not the place or timing, but ensuring the two sides move forward effectively while addressing substantive challenges previously agreed upon.
Lavrov said he agreed with Rubio to maintain an ongoing dialogue via additional calls to better assess the current state of affairs and determine the right course of action.
