Trump-Putin meeting cancelled after Moscow’s stance appeared too tough, - Financial Times
Moscow's position was too tough, and Washington was not happy with it. Therefore, the US cancelled President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Budapest.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the Financial Times.
The publication's sources claim that the decision to cancel the previously planned bilateral summit was made after a "tense" telephone conversation at the highest diplomatic level. In particular, it is noted that Moscow continued to insist on territorial concessions from Ukraine, a sharp reduction in its armed forces, and guarantees that the country would never join NATO.
After Trump and Putin agreed to meet, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a memo to Washington with the Kremlin's usual demands.
In addition, during a telephone conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the latter showed no willingness to negotiate, and Rubio informed Trump of Moscow's unyielding position.
As a result, the US cancelled the summit.
The US is ready to meet with Russia, but Moscow does not consider it a priority
American officials noted that Lavrov was tired and did not consider meetings with the US a priority, while Putin, according to the FT, praised the successes of Russian troops in the Kupiansk direction during the conversation, which annoyed Trump.
Despite this, Trump remains open to meetings with the Russians, if progress can be made in the negotiations, and continues to insist on a ceasefire along the current front lines.
After the summit was cancelled, the US president increased sanctions pressure on Russia, in particular against two key oil companies, and criticised Putin for testing nuclear weapons.
At the same time, Ukraine refuses to make further territorial concessions, emphasising its readiness for peace talks, but without surrendering the occupied territories.
