Trump, Putin meeting canceled after Russia insists goal to conquer Ukraine has not changed

WASHINGTON — President Trump no longer plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a second in-person summit “in the immediate future” after Russia rejected his demand to stop the war in Ukraine along the current battle lines.The White House announcement followed a Monday call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which a source familiar with the conversation said demonstrated the Kremlin’s unwillingness to commit to Trump’s strategy for peace.“Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call,” a White House official told The Post on Tuesday.“Therefore, an additional-in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future.”Trump had announced last week that Rubio would lead a high-level US delegation to in-person talks with their Russian counterparts this week.

Those talks were meant to lay the groundwork for a face-to-face between Trump and Putin in Budapest, Hungary.Trump exhorted both sides to lay down their arms following the third White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since Trump returned to office in January....