Washington, D.C. – October 22, 2025 – In a swift reversal that underscores the fragility of U.S.-Russia relations, plans for a high-stakes summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, have been shelved indefinitely. The White House confirmed Tuesday that the meeting, announced just six days earlier as a potential breakthrough in ending the war in Ukraine, is "not likely to take place anytime soon." The decision follows a phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which both sides described as "productive" but ultimately insufficient to bridge deep divides over ceasefire terms.
The postponement marks another setback in Trump's aggressive push for a diplomatic resolution to the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and reshaped global alliances. Trump, who has positioned himself as a master dealmaker capable of brokering peace where others have failed, expressed frustration over the impasse during a White House event celebrating Diwali. "I don't want to have a wasted meeting. I don't want to have a waste of time, so I'll see what happens," Trump told reporters, reiterating his reluctance to engage without tangible progress. This echoes sentiments from his administration, which has grown increasingly wary of Moscow's intransigence.
The saga began on October 16, when Trump emerged from a two-hour phone call with Putin glowing with optimism. Posting on Truth Social, the platform he owns, Trump declared that "great progress was made" during the conversation, which he said covered Ukraine, trade, and even humanitarian efforts led by First Lady Melania Trump to repatriate Ukrainian children separated by the war. "President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this 'inglorious' War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end," Trump wrote, estimating the summit would occur "within two weeks or so." He tasked Rubio with leading preparatory talks alongside Lavrov, envisioning an initial diplomats' meeting later that week to finalize details.
Budapest's selection as the venue was no accident. Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—a vocal Trump ally and one of Europe's few leaders maintaining ties with Moscow—offered a symbolically neutral ground. Orbán quickly endorsed the plan, tweeting that it was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world" and assuring that his government would facilitate Putin's travel despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against him in 2023 for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Hungary, which has flirted with exiting the ICC, positioned itself as a willing host, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stating on October 17 that Budapest would ensure Putin could "enter the country and return home afterwards."
The announcement sparked immediate controversy. European Union officials, while welcoming any effort toward peace, bristled at the optics of rewarding Hungary's pro-Russia stance amid broader EU sanctions on Moscow. Poland threatened to enforce the ICC warrant if Putin's plane entered its airspace, complicating logistics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, fresh from a tense White House visit with Trump on October 17, expressed cautious support but insisted any talks must include Kyiv and reject territorial concessions. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Zelenskyy noted Russia's "rushing to resume dialogue as soon as it hears about Tomahawks," referencing U.S. cruise missiles that could shift the battlefield balance.
Behind the scenes, the groundwork unraveled quickly. Rubio and Lavrov's Monday call—intended to pave the way for an in-person diplomats' sit-down in Budapest—revealed irreconcilable positions. A White House official, speaking anonymously, explained that while the discussion was cordial, "an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary." Echoing this, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday that he had spoken with Rubio about "how best to prepare for another potential presidential meeting proposed by Trump in Budapest." However, Lavrov downplayed the venue's significance, critiquing the EU's "centralized decision-making through Brussels bureaucracy" and emphasizing that "what matters most is not the place or timing, but ensuring the two sides move forward effectively while addressing substantive challenges previously agreed upon."
Lavrov added that he and Rubio agreed to "maintain an ongoing dialogue via additional calls to better assess the current state of affairs and determine the right course of action." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reinforced this measured tone, telling journalists there was "no sense of urgency" for a Trump-Putin encounter and that "preparation is needed, serious preparation." Peskov dismissed U.S. concerns over Russia's "maximalist stance" as "unscrupulous," insisting Moscow's demands—rooted in the August 2025 Alaska summit—remained unchanged.
That earlier Trump-Putin meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025, had set the stage for this latest drama. Hosted with military pomp, including a red-carpet welcome and flyover, it yielded no breakthroughs despite three hours of direct talks. Putin rebuffed calls for a three-way summit with Zelenskyy, whom he deems "illegitimate," and refused concessions on occupied territories like Donetsk and Luhansk. Trump left Alaska claiming Putin sought peace, but subsequent Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities belied that narrative. Analysts, including former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, had expressed skepticism from the outset. "I’m not sure if Budapest is going to happen," Herbst said last week, warning that Russia showed no willingness for the compromises needed to make a meeting worthwhile.
The postponement arrives at a pivotal moment in the war. Russian forces continue grinding advances in eastern Ukraine, while Kyiv grapples with manpower shortages and delayed Western aid. Trump's zigzagging rhetoric has added to the confusion: In September, he suggested Ukraine cede land for peace; by October 19, aboard Air Force One, he pivoted to freezing lines at current battle positions—a stance aligning with Zelenskyy and embraced by European leaders. Yet Putin has rejected ceasefires outright, demanding recognition of annexed regions, Ukraine's demilitarization, and curbs on NATO expansion—terms Kyiv views as capitulation.
Reactions poured in swiftly. Zelenskyy hailed the delay as a victory for firmness, tweeting that it demonstrated "diplomacy must have teeth." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell welcomed the pause, stating in Brussels that "rushing into talks without preconditions risks legitimizing aggression." On Capitol Hill, bipartisan hawks like Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) urged Trump to "stop getting strung along by Putin" and advance stalled Russia sanctions legislation. Shaheen, who praised Rubio's confirmation in January as a "boost" for steady leadership, noted the Florida Republican's hawkish history on Russia during his Senate tenure.
Rubio, sworn in as the first Latino secretary of state on January 21, 2025, after a unanimous Senate confirmation, has navigated these waters with a blend of Trump's "America First" pragmatism and his own interventionist leanings. A Cuban-American son of immigrants, Rubio's rise from Florida House speaker to U.S. senator to Foggy Bottom's top job symbolizes a new era in U.S. diplomacy. Yet even he faces scrutiny: During his confirmation hearing, Rubio acknowledged the war's toll but deemed a full Ukrainian reconquest of pre-2022 borders "unrealistic," drawing fire from progressives.
Globally, the hold ripples beyond Ukraine. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking with Trump on Diwali, emphasized countering "terrorism" in a call that highlighted warming U.S.-India ties amid strained Russia relations. In Asia, Trump's planned late-October trip to South Korea for the APEC summit now takes on added weight, as allies watch for signals on Indo-Pacific security.
As winter looms over Ukraine's front lines, the indefinite delay leaves the path to peace murkier than ever. Trump, ever the showman, may yet revive the Budapest gambit—or pivot to tougher measures like arming Kyiv with long-range missiles. For now, the "wasted meeting" aversion prevails, a reminder that in high-stakes poker, folding early can preserve chips for the next hand. Whether this pause fosters genuine progress or merely delays the inevitable remains an open question in a conflict that defies easy resolution.