Trump cancels meet with Putin ‘on flight’
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he has cancelled his scheduled meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina.
“Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin,” Trump tweeted. But he added, “I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!”
Trump,who left for Buenos Aires, had said just an hour before the tweet that it was a “good time” to meet with Putin.
Trump has been accused of being soft on Russia and President Putin, and was under pressure to punish Moscow for attacking Ukrainian ships and capturing their sailors.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who confirmed the news to reporters, said that the president took the decision to cancel the meeting with Putin while on his flight to the G20 summit. Sanders said she was not aware of a conversation between the two leaders about the cancellation. Russian news agencies quoted Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, as saying that the Kremlin only learnt about the cancellation from Trump’s tweet.
Trump spoke with secretary of state Mike Pompeo and White House chief of staff Kelly on the flight to the summit and called National Security Adviser John Bolton, Sanders said.
The US and Russian governments had exchanged phone calls, she added.