WASHINGTON: A meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “is not completely off the table,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
“I think the president and the entire administration hopes that one day that can happen again but we want to make sure that there’s a tangible positive outcome out of that meeting,” Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.
Trump said Wednesday that he canceled a summit with Putin because “it didn’t feel right” to him.
The comments come amid renewed tension between Washington and Moscow after the US announced new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, citing Moscow’s “lack of serious commitment” to the peace process to end the war in Ukraine, reports Anadolu.
Sanctions and Stalled Diplomacy
Leavitt said Trump has always maintained he would implement sanctions on Russia “when he felt it was appropriate and necessary.”
She noted the president’s frustration with “the lack of progress” from Russia and Ukraine in efforts to end the conflict.
“And yesterday was that day. I think the president has also long expressed his frustration with Vladimir Putin and frankly, both sides of this war. And he’s always said, in order to negotiate a good peace deal, both sides need to be interested in a good peace deal,” she said.
Leavitt added that Trump wants to ensure any potential meeting with Putin “will be a good use of his time.”
“The president wants to see action, not just talk,” she said.
On Oct. 16, following a call with Putin, Trump had announced plans to meet the Russian president in Hungary within two weeks — a plan now on hold.
