Trump’s Quick Summit Promise to Putin Proves Unrealistic

President Donald Trump’s promise of a quick summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin has proven unrealistic, with US officials confirming Tuesday that no immediate meeting is planned between the two leaders. The development underscores the disconnect between Trump’s public announcements and actual diplomatic planning processes.
The clarification came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted a Monday telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a call originally intended to arrange logistics for a presidential summit in Budapest. However, American officials have now determined that no additional in-person meeting between the secretaries is necessary, and no near-term Trump-Putin gathering will occur.
A US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the Rubio-Lavrov telephone discussion as “productive,” though specific outcomes were not disclosed. Russian officials have similarly dampened expectations, with the Kremlin announcing Tuesday that there is no “precise timeframe” for organizing a summit between Trump and Putin.
The diplomatic confusion began last Thursday after a telephone conversation between Trump and Putin that the American president initially celebrated as progress. Trump’s enthusiasm led him to quickly announce on social media that he would meet Putin within two weeks in Budapest, timing the announcement to coincide with his scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the potential provision of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Trump’s relationship with Putin has undergone several dramatic shifts, including the controversial August meeting in Alaska that represented Putin’s first visit to Western territory since ordering the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Despite Trump’s previous claims that his personal connection with Putin would enable him to end the war within a day of returning to office, the president has recently acknowledged experiencing frustrations with the Russian leader.