The timeline for a potential summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remains unclear despite recent diplomatic activity between the two nations, officials confirmed Tuesday. The uncertainty contradicts Trump’s recent social media announcement that he would meet the Russian leader in Budapest within two weeks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday in what was described as a “productive” conversation by a US administration official speaking anonymously. However, American officials have concluded that no further in-person ministerial meetings are required at this time, and no immediate presidential summit is planned.
The Kremlin has similarly declined to provide a specific timeline, with Russian officials stating Tuesday that there is no “precise timeframe” for organizing a Trump-Putin meeting. The lack of clarity from both capitals suggests that diplomatic preparations for a presidential summit are not as advanced as Trump’s earlier announcements indicated.
The confusion surrounding potential summit timing originated from a Thursday telephone call between Trump and Putin that the American president initially celebrated as significant progress. Trump’s interpretation of the call led him to announce on social media that he would meet Putin in Budapest within two weeks, timing the declaration to coincide with his upcoming meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about potentially providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.
Trump’s handling of relations with Putin has been characterized by sudden policy reversals, including the controversial August meeting in Alaska that represented Putin’s first visit to Western territory since ordering the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While Trump has repeatedly boasted about his ability to leverage personal chemistry with Putin to end the war quickly, he has recently admitted to experiencing frustrations in dealing with the Russian president.
