Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has just delivered a major blow to both Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky before the highly anticipated Trump-Putin summit in Budapest.
In a firm statement, Lavrov made it clear that Moscow will not agree to any ceasefire in Ukraine unless the “root causes” of the conflict are resolved a move that experts say could derail Trump’s diplomatic ambitions and complicate Zelensky’s position.
This comes amid confusion surrounding reports of a planned meeting between Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which CNN said was meant to lay the groundwork for the Budapest summit. However, the network reported that the talks were “put on hold” due to sharp differences over what a potential peace deal might look like.
According to sources, Russia continues to demand full control of Donetsk, a key region in eastern Ukraine a condition Washington is reportedly unwilling to support. These disagreements have fueled speculation that the Trump-Putin summit may face delays or even collapse before it begins.
But on Tuesday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov rejected those reports, insisting that “no agreement existed” for a Lavrov-Rubio meeting in the first place.
“You can’t postpone something that was never agreed upon,” Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow. “The idea of talks exists, but it requires serious preparation and that’s what we’re doing.”
Lavrov later described his conversation with Rubio as “constructive,” saying both sides discussed “concrete steps” to build on understandings reached during Trump’s October 16 phone call with Putin.
Trump had described that call as “very productive,” writing on Truth Social that he and Putin had agreed to hold a “High-Level Advisors” meeting to be led by Secretary Rubio before a possible leaders’ summit in Budapest, Hungary.
“President Putin and I will then meet in Budapest to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ war between Russia and Ukraine to an end,” Trump wrote.
Despite these assurances, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia’s stance on ending the war “has not changed.”
Following Trump’s calls with Putin and Zelensky, the former president suggested that both sides should “stop where they are,” referring to the current front lines a comment that raised eyebrows in Kyiv.
While Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his willingness to meet with Putin to negotiate peace, both the White House and the Kremlin remain silent on whether he will be included in the upcoming Budapest summit.
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