U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he canceled a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts and a sense that the timing was off.
“We canceled the meeting with President Putin — it just didn’t feel right to me,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get. So I canceled it, but we’ll do it in the future.”
Trump also expressed frustration with the stalled negotiations. “In terms of honesty, the only thing I can say is, every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere,” he said.
The summit cancellation came as the White House unveiled new sanctions targeting Russian oil exports, part of a broader effort to pressure Moscow over its continued military operations in Ukraine. Trump said he hoped the measures would be temporary.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Leslie Adler)
