Putin-Trump Summit Delayed Amidst Calls for Concrete Outcomes
Havana, Cuba – A planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump has been postponed, with both sides emphasizing the need for substantial readiness and guaranteed results before a face-to-face encounter. The delay comes after a telephone conversation initiated by the American side, according to reports from the Kremlin.
The postponement signals a shift in approach from previous discussions,including a historic summit earlier this year-described as yielding “great progress”-that took place in Moscow. Both leaders now appear to prioritize tangible outcomes over symbolic meetings, a sentiment echoed by thier respective foreign ministers. This growth underscores the complex dynamics at play as the two nations navigate a relationship marked by both competition and potential cooperation.
Trump announced the postponement at the end of October, stating, “It didn’t seem right to meet him. I didn’t think we were going to get to where we had to get.” He had previously agreed to a meeting proposed by the U.S. side in Budapest, but ultimately deemed the timing unsuitable.
Putin, for his part, confirmed the American proposal for a Budapest meeting and acknowledged his own reservations.”I agreed with that, but I expressed my considerations on the matter and said that, without a doubt, these types of meetings must be well prepared,” he stated. He further cautioned that a meeting without a “expected result” would be a “mistake” for both presidents.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov elaborated on this point, emphasizing that both leaders want to avoid “meeting just for the sake of meeting.” He stressed that “work has been done at the level of the heads of state, the Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State” is necessary for a productive summit.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added that Moscow requires “guarantees that the meeting between the presidents will produce concrete results.”
This cautious approach follows a period of heightened diplomatic activity, including the August summit in moscow. The current situation suggests a renewed focus on laying the groundwork for meaningful dialog, rather than rushing into another high-profile meeting without a clear agenda and anticipated deliverables.
(Source: RT in Spanish, via Cubadebate)
