The United States has dramatically postponed a planned meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, signaling a major setback in efforts to find common ground on ending the war in Ukraine.
According to reports, the decision came after it became clear that Vladimir Putin was unwilling to make any concessions that could lead to peace. The development may also delay a much-anticipated Trump–Putin summit that was expected to take place in Budapest, Hungary.
Meanwhile, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine, launching new airstrikes on Kharkiv using aerial bombs and deploying its deadly TOS-1A Solntsepek flamethrower system a weapon often described as a “poor man’s nuclear bomb.”
The postponed session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov was meant to outline the framework for a potential peace agreement ahead of the Trump–Putin meeting. Sources told CNN that Rubio is now “unlikely” to recommend the Budapest summit take place anytime soon.
Earlier, Rubio and Lavrov had spoken by phone to schedule the meeting, with Washington emphasizing the importance of dialogue as part of President Trump’s vision for a lasting peace. The Kremlin, for its part, described the conversation as “constructive” and hinted at “possible steps” toward implementing mutual understandings.
However, the optimism faded quickly. Just last week, Donald Trump blocked Ukraine’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles, claiming Putin was ready to discuss peace. Yet, intelligence assessments now confirm that Russia remains unwilling to compromise a warning Ukrainian officials had issued for weeks.
This outcome mirrors the failed Alaska talks between the two presidents back in August, where no progress was made on key issues.
In a pointed remark, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov dismissed the US decision, saying, “You cannot postpone what was not agreed upon.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reinforced Moscow’s hardline position, stating, “Russia’s stance remains unchanged.”
Moscow continues to reject Trump’s idea of freezing the war along current frontlines. Instead, it insists that Ukraine cede more territory in Donetsk and demilitarize, terms Kyiv firmly refuses to accept.
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer criticized Trump’s approach, telling the Kyiv Post that the US president “got played again by Putin.” Pifer added that if Trump were truly serious about peace, he would apply real pressure on the Kremlin to alter its military strategy.
“Putin must understand that trying to win on the battlefield will only lead to greater political, economic, and military costs for Russia,” Pifer said.
Putin must actually loose the war because this is the only satisfactory outcome for a country that kills citizens and steals land.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these guys are horrible men. So scary and president Zelinsky is a decent human being having to deal with these two dirt bags.
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