Putin-Trump summit on hold after Russia rejects ceasefire proposal

NATO CHIEF IN WASHINGTON FOR TALKS

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Washington on Tuesday for talks with Trump, which two sources said would take place on Wednesday. A Western official said Rutte planned to present Europe’s unified position in favour of an immediate halt to fighting and a negotiated settlement based on current territorial control.

Trump, who spoke by phone with Putin last week and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, had hoped to hold another high-profile summit with the Russian leader after their August meeting in Alaska failed to yield results.

However, a preparatory meeting between Rubio and Lavrov, expected in Budapest on Thursday, was postponed. The Kremlin said “serious preparation” was required and that no date had been finalised.

“Neither President Trump nor President Putin gave exact dates,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “There is no understanding yet.”

EUROPE WARNS OF STALLED DIPLOMACY

Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, whose government had been preparing to host the summit, wrote on Facebook: “We have some serious days ahead.”

But two senior European diplomats said the postponed meeting suggested Washington was unwilling to proceed unless Russia softened its stance. “The Russians haven’t changed their position and are not agreeing to ‘stop where they are’,” one diplomat said. “I assume Lavrov gave the same spiel, and Rubio was like: ‘See you later.’”

European powers, including Britain, France and Germany, released a joint statement supporting Trump’s position that fighting should stop immediately and that the current line of contact should form the basis for future negotiations.