Putin Says Dialogue Must Continue As Trump Postpones US–Russia Summit In Budapest

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reflected on the cancellation of his meeting with US President Donald Trump, which had originally been scheduled to take place in Budapest, Hungary.

Speaking on the sidelines of a diplomatic event, Putin remarked, “Dialogue is always better than confrontation, than disputes, or even more so than war.”

He reaffirmed that Russia continues to support diplomatic engagement as the means to resolve conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine.

Putin said that Washington had initiated the proposed summit but has now postponed it.

“It would be a mistake for both me and the US President to approach this lightly and come away from this meeting without the expected result,” he said, underscoring the importance of serious engagement.

The Russian leader confirmed that the cancellation was at the discretion of President Trump, who described the decision as necessary to avoid an ‘unproductive meeting’.

Putin Denounces US Sanctions

Putin strongly criticised Washington’s latest sanctions on Russia’s oil sector, calling them a futile attempt to exert pressure.

The sanctions target Rosneft and Lukoil — Russia’s largest oil producers.

“No self-respecting country ever does anything under pressure,” Putin said, warning that such measures could disrupt global energy markets and lead to a surge in oil prices.

He noted that Moscow had previously cautioned Washington about the economic repercussions of sanctions.

“We said very clearly that this would affect global oil prices, including the US,” Putin added.

The US Treasury Department stated that the sanctions aim to limit Russia’s ability to finance its aggression.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the move, calling it a necessary step to weaken ‘the Kremlin’s capacity to wage war’.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the sanctions as ‘counterproductive’, insisting that the country possesses ‘strong immunity’ to Western economic measures.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Tass that Moscow considers the new sanctions ‘exclusively counterproductive’.

She reiterated that Russia remains open to continuing its dialogue with Washington.

Russia Open to Continued Talks

Zakharova stated that there were ‘no significant obstacles’ to maintaining the process initiated by Putin and Trump aimed at establishing a political framework for a settlement in Ukraine.

She said the Foreign Ministry is ‘open to continuing contacts’ with the US State Department to clarify parameters of Russia-US dialogue and explore joint steps toward peace.

During his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, President Trump expressed hope that the war would be settled.

He acknowledged that the sanctions were severe but expressed optimism for future negotiations.

“Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere. It’s time to make a deal,” he said.

Trump confirmed that he had cancelled the Budapest meeting, explaining, “It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get. So, I cancelled it, but we’ll do it in the future.”

Putin’s remarks highlight Moscow’s willingness to pursue dialogue despite renewed sanctions and diplomatic setbacks.

Both leaders, though divided by sanctions and war, appear to leave open the possibility of future talks to stabilise relations and address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

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