Trump Postpones Summit with Putin Indefinitely to Avoid Futile Talks

President Donald Trump has indefinitely postponed a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was scheduled to take place in Budapest within two weeks. Trump cited his unwillingness to waste time on what he called "pointless talks" as the reason for the delay.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump explained his decision bluntly: "I don't want to hold an empty meeting, and I don't want to waste time, so I'll see what happens." The meeting was supposed to focus on ending the war in Ukraine, after Trump recently announced he would meet with Putin in the coming weeks.

But here's where it gets complicated. At the same time, Trump has been pressuring Ukraine to give up the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace, according to a high-level Ukrainian official who spoke to France Press. This puts Ukraine in a tough spot - facing pressure from both its main ally and its enemy to make territorial concessions.

The cancellation extends beyond just the presidential level. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov also called off their preparatory meeting that was meant to set the stage for the Budapest summit. This suggests the diplomatic breakdown runs deeper than just Trump's frustration.

The Kremlin had already signaled that no "specific" date existed for a Trump-Putin meeting, which may have contributed to the confusion. Trump appears increasingly frustrated with Putin in recent months, despite what he has described as a good personal relationship between them.

For markets and geopolitical observers, this development matters because it removes a potential catalyst for Ukraine war resolution in the near term. Energy markets, defense contractors, and European economies all remain in limbo as the conflict drags on without clear diplomatic progress. The failed diplomacy also signals that Trump's promised quick resolution to the Ukraine conflict may take longer than his initial 24-hour timeline suggested.