Moscow: Russia announced on Wednesday that preparations for a presidential summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are still underway, even after the US leader’s recent declaration that the meeting had been postponed.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Trump’s frustration has grown due to Russia’s reluctance to agree to a ceasefire in the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine. The US President has been unsuccessful in persuading Putin to compromise on his firm demands. The two leaders previously met at a summit in Alaska in August, but the discussion did not result in any peace agreement.
Last week, Trump revealed plans for a second round of talks with Putin in Budapest. However, he decided to cancel the meeting on Tuesday, expressing concerns about it being unproductive. When questioned about Trump’s remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, “No one wants to waste time, neither President Trump nor President Putin.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov confirmed that the preparations for the summit are still in progress. He was quoted by the state TASS news agency saying, “We are saying that preparations for a summit are continuing,” though he did not provide further details.