Washington: Plans for a face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest (Hungary) over the next two weeks have collapsed. The US president proposed a ceasefire freezing the war along current front lines. The proposal aimed to halt bloodshed and give space for future negotiations.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, “I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to have a waste of time, so I will see what happens.”
The collapse comes two months after Trump and Putin’s hastily arranged summit in Alaska in August. That meeting also ended with no results. Europe’s deadliest since World War II, the Russia-Ukraine war has killed tens of thousands.
Trump’s Proposal
Trump suggested that Russia and Ukraine should stop fighting along current battle lines immediately. “What I say is they should stop right now at the battle lines, go home, stop killing people and be done,” he said.
He pointed to Donbas, the industrial region at the centre of the conflict. “Let it be cut the way it is. It’s cut up right now, I think 78 percent of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is right now. They can negotiate something later on down the line,” he said.
European And Ukrainian Response
European leaders and President Zelenskyy voiced strong support. A statement said they “strongly” backed Trump’s proposal to stop fighting and use current lines as the basis for talks.
They accused Moscow of stalling. “Russia’s stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction,” the statement read.
The leaders also pledged to “ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace”.
Russia Pushes Back
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Moscow’s position. Russia will not freeze the war. Moscow demands full disarmament of Ukraine and control over claimed territories.
Reuters reported that Russia sent a private note to the United States over the weekend demanding full control of Donbas, not just areas already seized.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that Russia “has not changed its position compared to the understandings that were reached during the Alaska summit”.
He emphasised that ending the war requires elimination of “primary causes” of conflict, including Ukraine giving up territory. Kyiv rejects this.
Trump’s Shifting Position
Trump’s stance has fluctuated. He once claimed he could end the war in 24 hours. He pressured Zelenskyy during a February Oval Office meeting, threatening secondary tariffs and sanctions on Moscow. In August, he met Putin in Alaska, urging a deal that would force Ukraine to cede land. Later, he supported Ukraine’s right to reclaim territory.
“There will be some land swapping going on,” he told reporters.
Later, he suggested Kyiv might regain lost areas or “maybe even go further than that”.
Impact On The War
The collapse of the summit leaves the war unresolved. Zelenskyy visited the White House last week seeking US Tomahawk missiles. He aimed to target deep inside Russian territory but did not secure them.
Trump signalled that NATO allies in Europe should take a stronger role in supporting Ukraine. He has wavered on increasing US military aid.
The ceasefire plan, once promising, has stalled. For now, the front lines remain the battlefield, and the war’s end remains uncertain.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
