TRUMP DOESN'T WANT 'WASTED MEET' WITH PUTIN, PUTS IT ON HOLD

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (October 21, 2025) his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he did not want it to be a “waste of time.”

- AGENCIES

It was the latest twist in Trump's stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine.

The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Mr. Trump had announced last week, was made following a call on Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“I don't want to have a wasted meeting,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t want to have a waste of time -- so we'll see what happens.” Mr. Lavrov made clear in public comments on Tuesday that Russia is opposed to an immediate ceasefire. Trump, meanwhile, has been shifting his stance all year on key issues in the war, including whether a ceasefire should come before longer-term peace talks, and whether Ukraine could win back land seized by Russia during almost four years of fighting.