A planned meeting this week between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been put on hold, raising fresh uncertainty over a proposed summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Budapest.
The Rubio–Lavrov encounter had been viewed in Washington and Moscow as the key preparatory step for a leaders’ meeting mooted following a Trump–Putin phone call on 16 October.
Russian and U.S. readouts confirm that Rubio and Lavrov spoke by telephone on 20 October to discuss “next steps,” with Moscow describing the call as “constructive.” The State Department readout was more restrained, offering no characterisation beyond the fact of the conversation.
Before the postponement, 23 October had circulated as a provisional date for a face-to-face between Rubio and Lavrov. CNN reported that the in-person session would not take place as planned, and suggested the two sides could instead hold another phone call later this week.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has sought to play down the reports, saying one “cannot postpone what has not been agreed.”
The uncertainty at ministerial level has direct implications for the Budapest proposal. Trump’s hopes for a swift summit may be stalled by the delay to the Rubio–Lavrov meeting. No official schedule for a leaders’ encounter has been announced.
Logistics remain sensitive. Poland has publicly warned that any transit by Putin through its airspace could trigger obligations under the International Criminal Court warrant issued in 2023, complicating potential flight routes to Hungary. Warsaw underscored that ICC members are obliged to arrest the Russian president if he enters their jurisdiction. Hungary, which would host the meeting, has signalled it would ensure Putin could enter and depart safely.
Kyiv has indicated conditional openness to participating in some form. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 20 October that if invited to Budapest—either for trilateral talks or in a shuttle format—Ukraine would “agree” to take part.
The diplomatic manoeuvring follows the Trump–Putin meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, in August, which produced no immediate breakthrough. Exchanges in Alaska did little to narrow differences on the terms for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Trump’s recent public comments further illustrate the shifting context. On 20 October he said he did not believe Ukraine would win the war—while adding that “anything is possible”—and called for both sides to “stop where they are,” effectively proposing a ceasefire along current battle lines.
These statements came shortly after his meeting in Washington with Zelenskyy and ahead of the reported Budapest plan. Zelenskyy also did not secure U.S. approval for Tomahawk cruise missiles during those discussions.
Ministerial delay is linked to persistent gaps between Washington and Moscow over the basis for any settlement. According to CNN’s reporting U.S. officials believe Russia has not moved off its maximalist positions, a factor that would make it difficult to recommend proceeding quickly to a leaders’ meeting.
There are also ancillary pressures. Trade rhetoric between Washington and Beijing has intensified, with Trump floating triple-digit tariffs in the event of new frictions, while separately signalling that the U.S. should retain Tomahawk stocks despite outside calls to supply Ukraine.
For now, the immediate milestones are limited to further diplomatic contacts below leader level. Reports suggest Rubio and Lavrov may speak again by phone, but there is no confirmed date for an in-person meeting or for a Trump–Putin summit.
With contradictory public framing from Washington and Moscow, and legal-logistical constraints around any Putin travel to the European Union, the timetable for high-level talks remains uncertain.
Rubio and Lavrov line up 23 October meeting as Trump pursues Budapest summit
