Prospects for an imminent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest appear to be fading, judging by new signals from Moscow.
But even the Rubio-Lavrov sit-down is not imminent, according to a top Russian official.
“It’s impossible to postpone something, about which there was no agreement,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Monday, according to state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, shortly after CNN reported the meeting had been postponed.
RIA later posted an update, saying Ryabkov had added that the meeting of top diplomats requires further preparation.
There is no route through Europe for war criminals to attend any events,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys told reporters.
Opportunities for a meeting between U. A. Moscow is sending new signals that suggest the relationship between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump in Budapest is waning.
The two leaders agreed to meet in the Hungarian capital, with the first round of talks involving the U.S., Trump said after a long phone conversation with Putin last week, during which “great progress was made.”. A. Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
However, according to a senior Russian official, even the Rubio-Lavrov sit-down is not imminent.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated Monday, according to state-owned RIA Novosti news agency, that “it’s impossible to postpone something, about which there was no agreement.” This came just after CNN announced that the meeting had been postponed.
A later update from RIA stated that Ryabkov had added that more preparation is needed for the meeting of top diplomats.
“There must be careful preparation.”. It may take some time, as you have heard from both the American and our sides. Therefore, there were actually no precise terms set at the beginning,” added Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov during a briefing to reporters.
Ryabkov’s statements cast doubt on the prospect of a meeting between Putin and Trump, who is seeking to end the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine by using the momentum and legitimacy from his Middle East peace agreement.
Other European capitals were incensed by the proposed summit in Budapest, which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hailed as “great news for the peace-loving people of the world.” Some said they would shut down their airspace to Putin.
“War criminals have no place in Europe. War criminals have no way to travel across Europe to attend any events, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys informed reporters.
Budapest has pledged not to enforce the International Criminal Court’s warrant for Putin’s arrest for war crimes, and the country withdrew from the ICC earlier this year.
A revision has been made to this article.
