The United States has imposed sanctions on major Russian oil companies, accusing Moscow of a lack of commitment to ending the war in Ukraine. At the same time, US President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump's announcement of the cancellation came at the same time as the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on Russia's largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. The reason, according to the US, is Moscow's lack of genuine desire to achieve reconciliation in Ukraine.
"We canceled the meeting with President Putin. I felt that it would not be right, that we could not achieve what we wanted, so I canceled it," Trump said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Washington time.
Trump said that another meeting with Putin could take place "in the future," but did not specify the dates.
He expressed regret that his attempts to reach the Russian president have remained fruitless: "Every time I talk to Vladimir, we have a good conversation, but then nothing happens."
Yesterday, Trump did not directly announce that the Budapest summit would not take place, but he hinted at it, suggesting his doubts about the meeting's outcome. "I don't want the meeting to be useless. I don't want to waste time," he said, explaining that the meeting was postponed indefinitely.
