Plans for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have encountered significant delays, with no immediate plans for a summit. This follows a series of diplomatic setbacks, including a phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which highlighted differing expectations over the resolution of the Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has expressed concerns about Russia’s diminishing interest in diplomacy, correlating it with the US delay in supplying long-range missile systems.
President Donald Trump's ambitions for a swift summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin have faltered, as the timeline for such a meeting has been delayed indefinitely. Initially announced as occurring within two weeks, the proposed meeting now appears unlikely in the immediate future. The decision comes after a phone call between key US and Russian diplomats, which revealed divergent views on the war in Ukraine and a lack of meaningful progress in peace negotiations.
The shift in plans followed a series of diplomatic engagements, notably a phone conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. While both sides characterized the call as “productive,” sources indicated that it failed to bridge the gap between Russian and US positions, especially regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The US administration had hoped this conversation would set the stage for the Trump-Putin summit, but it became clear that further direct engagement was not deemed necessary at this stage.
Despite the US labeling the Rubio-Lavrov call as “constructive,” the lack of alignment on key issues, including Russia’s stance on territorial disputes and the future of Ukraine, led to a retraction of the plans for a high-level summit. Lavrov rejected Trump's proposal to freeze the conflict, which had been backed by Kyiv and European allies as part of negotiations toward ending the war. Furthermore, President Zelenskyy warned that Russia's diminishing interest in diplomacy was linked to the absence of US support for advanced weaponry, such as Tomahawk missiles, which Ukraine views as critical to exerting pressure on Russia.
The postponed summit underscores the deepening diplomatic divide between Moscow and Washington. The US administration remains committed to achieving a peaceful resolution to the war but acknowledges the difficulty of moving forward without significant shifts in Russia's position. Rubio and Lavrov’s recent discussions, although termed constructive, have failed to bring tangible results, highlighting the limitations of diplomatic exchanges when critical decisions rest with the leaders themselves.
The delay in providing Ukraine with long-range missile capabilities, a move that Kyiv sees as pivotal to enhancing its military leverage, has further complicated the diplomatic landscape. With Russia showing a decreasing interest in negotiation, the situation has led to an impasse that may require a major shift in US strategy to restart meaningful talks.
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