• D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG

Intelligence for the New World Economy

  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG


Flagship newsletter icon
From Semafor Flagship
In your inbox, every weekday
Sign up

Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest shelved, White House says

Oct 21, 2025, 6:25pm EDT
PostEmailWhatsapp
Vladimir Putin
Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik/Pool via Reuters

US President Donald Trump no longer plans to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Budapest, the White House said Tuesday.

The swift cancellation of the in-person summit, just days after Trump floated it, reportedly stemmed from Moscow’s refusal to water down its maximalist demands, including that Kyiv give up swaths of territory.

The Kremlin is eager for a broader diplomatic deal that re-establishes its international heft to justify its role in global institutions like the UN, the Center for European Policy Analysis wrote.

Ukraine and its European allies, meanwhile, are preparing a peace plan that would end the war based on the current frontlines — an idea that Trump appeared to endorse on Monday.

AD