On September 16, a Moscow diplomatic note forced the U.S. to cancel its earmarked Trump‑Putin meeting in Washington, leading Washington to suspend the pending Hungary summit.
Russia’s Moscow Note Forces U.S. to Call Off Trump‑Putin Summit
After Washington decided to hold a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a diplomatic note from the Russian foreign ministry arrived in Washington a few days later.
The note asserted Moscow’s requirements, which President Putin calls the “main causes” of its invasion of Ukraine, including substantial territorial concessions, a drastic reduction of Ukrainian armed forces and assurances that Ukraine will never join NATO.
The note prompted a tense conversation between U.S. and Russian advisers, which the Financial Times described as “tense.”
High‑Tension Trump‑Putin Phone Call
During a phone call on 16 October, the Russian president reportedly annoyed President Trump when Trump praised Russia’s performance on the front near Kupyansk and along the Oskil River.
The next day, the U.S. president allegedly pressed Ukrainian President Zelensky to agree to territorial concessions to Russia, while also proposing a ceasefire on the current front line.
Trump was reported to have thrown Ukrainian maps and declared he was fed up with “watching” the situation.
Orban Stresses Summit Will Proceed
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, speaking to the media, said that the Washington summit between Putin and Trump would still take place.
He added that while the summit was merely postponed and a concrete date had not yet been set, negotiations were ongoing.
Orban compared the situation to previous peace summits, noting that the outcome usually awaited a week after negotiations, and indicated the summit is scheduled for November 7.