The Summit That Wasn’t: How Putin Rebuffed Trump’s Ceasefire Bid
A much-awaited meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been shelved after Moscow declined to sign an immediate Ukraine ceasefire. The delay comes as the two sides continue to fail to agree on conditions to bring a halt to the four-year-old war.
Washington puts summit on ice
A senior White House official told Reuters that “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” after there was a telephone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The two officials agreed to cancel an in-person meeting scheduled to be held in Budapest this week.
Trump had last week said he would meet Putin in Hungary to advance peace initiatives. But with Moscow denying any concessions and also rejecting a ceasefire, preparations for a summit are now on hold.
“I suppose the Russians asked for too much,” observed one top European diplomat, suggesting Moscow’s conditions had rendered an agreement impossible for Washington.
Russia doubles down on Donbas control
Sources close to the negotiations informed that Russia delivered a private ‘non-paper’ to the U.S. on weekend. The paper restated Moscow’s long-standing requirement for complete control of the Donbas territory, including all of Luhansk and some 75% of Donetsk.
It effectively rejected Trump’s offer of a ceasefire along existing frontlines — a stance that Ukraine and its European partners strongly backed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated there was “no understanding” of a potential summit date, stressing that “serious preparation” remained necessary.
Europe calls for insistence on ceasefire
The leaders of Europe have cautioned that the U.S. should not engage in negotiations with Moscow without obtaining clear concessions. In a statement, British, French, German, and EU leaders supported Trump’s demand for an immediate ceasefire — but urged that existing battlefronts be the foundation of any future peace talks.
European diplomats said that the delay in the Rubio-Lavrov meeting indicated American unwillingness to move forward unless Moscow softened.
“The Russians haven’t moved one bit,” another European official stated. “They’re not agreeing to cease where they are, and Washington won’t accept that.”
Ukraine welcomes Trump’s changing tone
Following a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, Trump seemed to embrace the notion of freezing the combat on existing front lines — Kyiv’s ideal stance. Though the two leaders’ private meeting was purportedly tense, Zelenskyy afterward referred to it as a “success,” in that Trump publicly supported a ceasefire that would lock down the battlefield. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/us/politics/trump-putin-ukraine-meeting.html
NATO and regional tensions
In the meantime, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is due in Washington to talk over the next move with Trump. He will bring Europe’s collective position on the ceasefire offer, sources say.
The suggested location — Budapest, Hungary — has also drawn skeptical glances in the EU. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is among the few European leaders who have kept warm relations with Moscow.
Adding to the drama, Poland warned it would ground and detain Putin’s plane if it entered Polish airspace en route to the planned summit. Bulgaria, meanwhile, reported that it would grant passage, highlighting divisions in Europe as to how to deal with the Russian president.
What’s next?
Although neither side has formally called off the Budapest summit, it does not seem to be imminent. Trump indicated he wouldn’t have a “wasted meeting,” meaning negotiations would only restart if there is “real progress” toward a ceasefire.
Both Washington and Moscow currently appear stuck in a diplomatic standoff — with the fate of the peace negotiations in the air.
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