The US canceled the summit with the Russian Federation in Budapest after the Kremlin's demands

Moscow demanded territorial concessions and abandonment of NATO from Kyiv

The US administration canceled a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest after Moscow sent Washington a document with “tough demands” on Ukraine. This was reported by the Financial Times (FT), citing sources.

According to the publication, in the document the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded from Kyiv territorial concessions, a reduction in the Ukrainian armed forces and guarantees that Ukraine would never join NATO. Moscow also announced its intention to gain control over the entire territory of Donbass.

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The recent conversation between Lavrov and Rubio was tense

After the delivery of the memorandum, a telephone conversation took place between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to FT, the conversation took place in a tense atmosphere. Rubio then reported to Trump that Moscow showed no willingness to compromise. The American president, according to sources, “was not impressed” by Russia’s position and decided to postpone the meeting.

Earlier, in September, Rubio and Lavrov already exchanged “uncompromising” statements on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to Bloomberg, it was Rubio’s opinion about the toughness of Moscow’s position that became decisive in Trump’s decision not only to cancel the summit, but also to introduce new sanctions against the Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil for the first time since his return to the White House.

“Rescheduling, not cancelling.” Russia and US hope for Trump-Putin summit in future

Trump announced the cancellation of the summit in Budapest on October 22, explaining that he “does not want to have an empty meeting.” According to him, "We didn't get to where we were supposed to get to, so I canceled it - but we will do it in the future."

Vladimir Putin, commenting on the situation, also said that we are talking about a postponement rather than a cancellation. According to him, the meeting was initiated by the American side, and dialogue “is always better than confrontation.”

FT sources note that Trump is open to new negotiations with Moscow if there is a chance for real progress in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

Previously, “Verstka” talked about why Donald Trump canceled his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest. Then it turned out that the decision to cancel the summit was made after a conversation between Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov.

Photo: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Alaska before the start of the leaders' summit. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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