The reason for the cancellation of the summit planned in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Modern.az reports that the "Financial Times" publication wrote about this.
According to the source, Rubio informed Trump that Moscow did not appear ready for talks, and subsequently, the White House decided to postpone the summit.
According to the publication, Trump was not surprised by Lavrov's harsh rhetoric. The cancellation of the Budapest summit marked a turning point in US policy, as just a week earlier, Trump seemed to be taking steps in Putin's favor, refusing to provide long-range “Tomahawk” missiles to Ukraine.
However, subsequent events increased doubts in the White House. US officials began to believe that continuing dialogue was pointless as long as Moscow did not change its position.
FT sources report that Lavrov surprised Rubio with “irreconcilable statements” during a brief meeting in New York in September, claiming that Ukraine was “under Nazi control.”
“Lavrov appeared openly tired and seemed to refuse to engage with the US, whether it was Putin's wish or not,” the source noted.
Nevertheless, Trump's inner circle reports that the US president is still open to meeting with the Russians “if real progress is possible.”
Although Trump called his telephone conversation with Putin on October 16 “very productive,” the "Financial Times" writes that this conversation actually angered the US president.
According to two sources, Putin exaggerated the “successes” of the Russian army in the Kupyansk and Oskil regions during the conversation, which caused dissatisfaction in Trump.
Consequently, Trump stated that he had completely abandoned the idea of providing “Tomahawk” missiles to Ukraine and called this weapon “very dangerous and a means that could lead to escalation.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky, in a statement to journalists in Kyiv, said that “Putin called Trump because of the "Tomahawk" rhetoric.”
Immediately after the cancellation of the Budapest summit, the Trump administration increased pressure on Moscow. The US imposed sanctions against two major Russian oil companies, and President Trump openly criticized Putin for nuclear weapons tests, accusing him of “pursuing a policy of creating fear instead of peace.”
The "Financial Times" notes that the cancellation of the summit also deepened disagreements within Moscow. Lavrov's harsh and pessimistic stance is regarded by some Kremlin circles as a factor undermining cooperation efforts. This has opened new debates within the Russian leadership regarding the future direction of foreign policy and Lavrov's fate.
