There are no plans for US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet "in the immediate future," a senior White House official said on October 21, days after Trump had indicated that another summit was being arranged with his Russian counterpart.
Trump said the possibility of a "wasted meeting" had led him to put plans for a summit with Putin on hold. But Trump reiterated that he believes both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy want to end the war and alluded to ongoing diplomacy.
"A lot of things are happening on the war front," Trump also told reporters at the White House, saying more would be known "in the next few days."
A spokeswoman for NATO chief Mark Rutte said earlier on X that Rutte would visit Washington on October 21-22 and would meet with Trump. A source quoted by Reuters said he would present European views on a cease-fire and any subsequent peace negotiations.
Separately, Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said on X that preparations for a summit were ongoing.
"Media is twisting comment about the 'immediate future' to undercut the upcoming Summit. Preparations continue," he said.
Earlier on October 21 a senior White House official said "there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future" after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a "productive call" but opted against an in-person meeting.
Moscow's rejection of an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine appeared to have been the sticking point.
Lavrov repeated Russia's opposition to an immediate cease-fire, saying it is necessary to find a solution that eliminates what the Kremlin calls the war's "root causes."
The Russian foreign minister said however that he and Rubio had agreed to continue telephone consultations "to better understand where we are and how to move in the right direction." He said Russia's war aims remained unchanged and that its "special military operation" would achieve its objectives.