Putin Says US Sanctions May Delay Planned Summit with Trump in Hungary

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the planned summit between him and former US President Donald Trump in Hungary may be postponed following Washington’s announcement of a new round of sanctions against Russia.

Speaking to reporters, Putin said that while the summit had been agreed upon by both sides, the recent US decision to impose sanctions has complicated the timing. “Now I see that after this statement, the US president decided to cancel or postpone this meeting. Looks like he is talking about postponing this meeting,” Putin said.

According to the Russian president, the idea and venue for the meeting were initially proposed by the United States. Putin noted that Moscow supports dialogue and prefers negotiation over confrontation, but warned that approaching the Hungary summit “without preparation” would be a mistake.

Putin described the new US sanctions as an attempt to exert political and economic pressure on Moscow. He said the measures have “two aspects purely political and economic,” and added that the political dimension was clearly intended “to exert pressure.”

The Russian leader emphasized that the sanctions would not significantly impact Russia’s economic stability, noting that “no self-respecting country ever does anything under pressure.”

Putin said the sanctions were “unfriendly toward Russia” and do not contribute to the restoration of relations between the two nations. “It is an obvious thing. And it does not strengthen Russian-US relations, which have just begun to recover,” he stated.

The Russian president also pointed out that Donald Trump, during his first term, had already imposed the largest number of sanctions against Russia in modern history.

Despite ongoing tensions, Putin reiterated that Moscow remains open to dialogue but expects fair and respectful diplomatic engagement from Washington.