Cancelled Summit: U.S. Bows to Moscow’s Ultimatum on Ukraine Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting in Budapest

The United States has called off a scheduled summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest after Russia reiterated its extensive demands regarding Ukraine, as reported by the Financial Times on Friday, citing knowledgeable sources.

Earlier in October, Trump and Putin had reached an agreement to meet in the Hungarian capital to explore potential solutions for ending Russia’s ongoing three-and-a-half-year invasion.

Moscow’s Foreign Ministry allegedly sent a memo to Washington shortly thereafter, restating its conditions, which included demands for Ukraine to relinquish territory, reduce its military forces, and commit to never joining NATO.

The summit was subsequently scrapped following a conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who apparently informed Trump that Russia was “showing no willingness to negotiate.” In a YouTube interview on Sunday, Lavrov accused Trump of “radically” altering his stance on peace in Ukraine in the wake of the August summit with Putin in Alaska.

“Trump was not impressed with their position,” one person familiar with the talks told the Financial Times.

They further noted that Trump remained open to meeting with his Russian counterparts “when and where he believes progress can be made.”

However, Trump reportedly felt “annoyed” by Putin’s remarks about Russia’s military successes near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk and along the Oskil river during their October 16 call, according to the Financial Times.

Moscow has insisted on gaining control over the remaining territories in the Donetsk region as a prerequisite for peace negotiations, a demand that Kyiv has firmly rejected.

Neither the Kremlin, Russia’s Foreign Ministry, nor the U.S. State Department responded to requests for comments.