Trump says he canceled Putin summit due to stalled negotiations

Traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls, Matryoshka dolls, depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump are displayed for sale at a gift shop on the touristic Arbat street in downtown Moscow on October 21, 2025. (AFP)
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WASHINGTON: US 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 cancelation 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.