Ukraine-Russia war: Trump-Putin meet in Budapest put on hold; Rubio calls Lavrov

There are “no plans” for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future," a US official said on Tuesday.

The statement came a day after a call between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. The two diplomats held a scheduled conversation after Trump announced last week that the duo would work to arrange a meeting to be held between the two presidents in Budapest, Hungary.




According to the official, there will be no further calls between Rubio and Lavrov as well.

“An additional in-person meeting between the secretary and foreign minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” the Trump administration official told news agency AFP.

"However, the Rubio-Lavrov call was productive," he added.

The Kremlin also confirmed that there is no “precise timeframe” for a summit between Trump and Putin, who last met in Anchorage, in the US state of Alaska, in August to discuss the Russia–Ukraine war, which will mark four years in February 2026. This meeting marked their first in-person encounter of the US leader’s second presidency, which began in January.

Also read: 'Putin will destroy you': Maps tossed, tempers flared — how Trump-Zelenskyy’s tense White House meeting unfolded

Trump and Putin spoke by telephone on October 16, with the Republican hosting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy the following day. The Republican hailed the call as a "progress" and quickly posted on social media that they would meet "within two weeks" in Budapest.

In recent days, Trump has acknowledged his "frustrations" with Putin after long boasting that he could end the war within a day of returning to the White House due to his "personal chemistry" with the Russian leader.