 "US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, US, August 15, 2025. File Image/Reuters")
There are currently no plans for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “in the immediate future,” according to a CNN report, citing a Trump administration official on Tuesday, signaling a shift from Trump’s earlier comments suggesting a summit was imminent.
Last week, Trump had indicated that the two leaders were expected to meet “within two weeks or so, pretty quick.”
However, the latest remarks suggest the administration is still weighing whether to proceed with a high-level meeting in the short term.
Adding to the uncertainty, the Kremlin on Tuesday said no dates had been discussed for the proposed leaders’ meeting, and that “serious preparation” was still needed.
“We cannot postpone something that has not been finalised,” Reuters quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying in response to a CNN report that a key preparatory meeting — between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — had been put on hold.
“Neither President Trump nor President Putin have given exact dates,” he added.
The session between Rubio and Lavrov, initially expected this week, was widely seen as a critical step in organising a summit.
While US officials have signaled that the meeting is on pause, the Kremlin pushed back, saying it had “no understanding” of when such talks — or the summit itself — might take place.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe shifting signals from both Washington and Moscow reflect a broader recalibration of diplomatic timelines amid internal deliberations.
While both sides have expressed openness to a future meeting, the lack of clear planning or agreed timelines has made a near-term summit increasingly unlikely.
With inputs from agencies