At a press conference in the Oval Office, U. S. President Donald Trump announced that he had decided to cancel a planned meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest. Trump explained that he saw little point in holding the talks, saying the meeting was unlikely to achieve its intended goals.

He emphasized that he still intends to meet with Putin at a later date and remains committed to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.

The press conference, held in the presence of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, also included Trump’s statement that it was time to introduce new anti-Russian sanctions. The United States, he said, plans to impose restrictions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil. Trump expressed hope that these measures would not remain in place for long but would encourage Russia’s leadership to return to the negotiating table.

Reiterating his position on the Ukrainian crisis, the U.S. president said the parties should «freeze» their current front-line positions and cease hostilities. He also claimed that Russia seeks control over «all of Ukraine," though, according to him, Moscow is willing to make concessions.

Trump went on to accuse his predecessor, Joe Biden, of having «foolishly» supplied weapons to Ukraine free of charge. He added that the United States would not train foreign militaries to operate Tomahawk cruise missiles.

According to Trump, Ukraine uses European-made long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory, not American ones.

Toward the end of the press conference, Trump urged Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky to act with common sense. He remarked that Moscow and Beijing could never be «natural allies» and voiced support for Russia’s proposal to extend the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty.