NBC News: Preparations for Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest put on hold

Preparations for the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest have been suspended, NBC News journalist Garrett Haake has reported.

"Planning towards that Trump/Putin summit in Budapest is 'on hold' at the moment, a senior White House official tells me," the journalist wrote on X.

According to the official, the recent phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was "productive", but Trump believes that "both sides aren't ready enough to talk to justify moving forward right now".

Sources for Reuters have also suggested that Russia's refusal to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine may have jeopardised the planned Trump-Putin summit.

CNN earlier reported that the planned meeting between Rubio and Lavrov, which was due to take place this week, had been postponed.

Earlier, 23 October was mentioned as a possible date for their meeting. They were supposed to prepare for the personal meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest.

No specific reasons for the postponement have been given. However, one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is due to the very different views of Rubio and Lavrov on ending the Russo-Ukrainian war.

On 21 October, The Kremlin said that "there is no understanding" of when the Trump-Putin summit might take place.