The United States has decided to cancel the summit planned for this month in Budapest, between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, following a memorandum sent by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Washington, reports The Insider, citing the Financial Times.
The document sent by Moscow contained harsh demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine, including the cession of additional territories, a significant reduction of the Ukrainian armed forces, and guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO.
Russian President Vladimir Putin justified these conditions as being necessary to eliminate the “fundamental causes” of the invasion.
However, Donald Trump advocates for a ceasefire along the current frontline, without imposing other conditions.
The decision to cancel the summit was made after a tense telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of the two countries: Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
According to the publication, Rubio informed Trump that Moscow does not show signs of real readiness for negotiations.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, recently stated that he is prepared for peace negotiations, but will not withdraw troops from unoccupied territories, as demanded by Moscow.
Previously, Bloomberg wrote that the abrupt change in the White House’s tactics towards Russia occurred after Marco Rubio – known as a supporter of a hard line in relation to Moscow – concluded that Russia is again trying to delay negotiations for a ceasefire.