Confusion surrounds a reported meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after Moscow denied that any firm plans were ever in place.
CNN reported that the talks – meant to prepare for a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest – had been “put on hold for the time being“ because Rubio and Lavrov had “divergent expectations” about a possible end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to CNN’s sources within the White House, US officials reportedly concluded that Russia remains unwilling to soften its stance or scale back its demands, leading Rubio to hesitate over recommending a Trump-Putin meeting next week.
But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Tuesday dismissed those claims, saying “it’s incorrect to say the meeting was delayed” because “no agreement existed to begin with.”
“You can’t postpone something that was never agreed upon,” Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow, as reported by Interfax.
“We had no understanding of the timing or the place for such a contact. The idea exists, of course, and it’s an important one – but it requires preparation. That’s what we’re doing.”
On Monday, Lavrov and Rubio discussed plans for a summit between Trump and Putin. The summit, which is expected to be held in Budapest, was announced after Putin phoned Trump last week ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Friday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry described the call as “constructive,” saying both sides discussed “concrete steps” to follow up on understandings reached during a Trump-Putin phone call on Oct. 16.
Trump and Putin had previously agreed to meet “within the next two weeks” in Budapest to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end.”
The Kremlin said the timeline remains flexible, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia’s position on ending the war “has not changed.”
After his most recent call with Putin and a subsequent meeting with Zelensky, Trump suggested that Moscow and Kyiv ‘should stop where they are,’ referring to the current, extensive front line.
Trump and Putin last met in Alaska on Aug. 15, where Trump gave the Russian dictator a red-carpet welcome.
During a subsequent visit to the White House by Zelensky and many of Ukraine’s European allies, Trump took a phone call from Putin in which the Russian president assured him of his willingness to participate in a trilateral summit with Zelensky.
However, as several weeks – and deadlines set for Putin by Trump – passed, analysts and diplomats began to suspect the Russian president of playing for time.
Zelensky has affirmed on many occasions that he is ready to meet with Putin to end the war. Neither the White House nor the Kremlin mentioned his involvement in the planned Budapest summit after Lavrov and Rubio’s phone call on Friday.