Trump cancels meeting with Putin in Budapest
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had decided to cancel his scheduled meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Budapest, Hungary, indicating that the meeting might take place at a later date.
During his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump explained that he did not think the time was right to hold the meeting now, saying:
“We’ve decided to cancel the meeting with President Putin… I don’t feel it will be productive at this stage… We’ll meet later when the circumstances are right to achieve our goals”.
This decision comes just two days after Trump previously stated that he would soon announce the next steps regarding the potential summit with Putin.
Trump then confirmed to reporters: “In the next two days, we will reveal the steps we will take regarding the meeting with the Russian President”.
The two leaders had a phone call on October 16 that lasted more than two and a half hours, their eighth conversation this year.
Following the call, Yuri Ushakov, aide to the Russian president, announced that Moscow and Washington had already begun preparations for a new summit between Putin and Trump, likely to be held in Budapest, before Trump announced today that it would be postponed.
It’s worth noting that this meeting was expected to address security cooperation and bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as the future of Russian-US relations amid escalating international tensions.
In a related context, retired Russian Colonel Andrei Bezrukov, who served in the Foreign Intelligence Service, expressed deep concern about President Vladimir Putin’s safety during the potential summit with US President Donald Trump in Budapest.
Bezrukov suggested that British intelligence may be preparing an assassination plot in that city.
In a television interview, Bezrukov emphasized the danger of traveling to Budapest, saying, “I don’t recommend traveling there… I’ve real concerns that the British mindset believes that Putin’s absence means the end of the problem, and thus the collapse of Russia”.
He suggested moving the meeting to a more neutral and secure country, such as the United Arab Emirates.
Bezrukov, who has spent more than 25 years working covertly within Western countries, warned that the British elite, suffering from the country’s declining influence, may resort to extreme options, including carrying out a hostile operation during the upcoming summit.
He added, “Any strike against Russia, even if it’s a complete betrayal, is an option for them”.
When the host pointed out the Russian president’s courage, Bezrukov responded that “the interests of the state must prevail over personal considerations, no matter how courageous”.
In a related development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made statements underscoring the seriousness of the situation, noting that threats made by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski regarding the security of Putin’s plane reflect Poland’s readiness to engage in terrorist acts.
Lavrov explained that Sikorski stated that Poland was unable to guarantee the safety of the Russian presidential plane if it crossed Polish airspace en route to Budapest.
He added that there was a possibility that an independent court would issue an order to stop the plane and hand over the Russian president to the International Criminal Court, according to Polish media reports.
