No Putin meeting
Trump cancels sit-down with Putin after Russia’s Ukrainian ship seizure.
President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a meeting with Vladimir Putin lets him show disapproval over Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian ships last week while avoiding the awkward task of delivering a tough message in person.
Trump announced his decision via Twitter less than an hour after departing Washington for Argentina, where he and Putin were to meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit this weekend. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters aboard Air Force One that Trump made the decision after being briefed mid-air on the Ukraine incident.
Senior officials in the Russian delegation to Buenos Aires appeared taken aback by the snub. One described it as “really bad.” But they were reluctant to elaborate on whether the move could augur fresh U.S. sanctions on Russia.
“Trying to predict what Trump will do next is like reading tea leaves,” said another official. Putin is due to arrive in Argentina Friday morning.
Trump’s goals for the meeting were vague, and the timing of his decision — four days after Russia captured three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea — was impossible to ignore.
The cancellation marks the second snub by Trump in less than a month after he decided against meeting Putin in Paris, where they were both attending World War I commemorations. It sets back Russian hopes for rebuilding ties that have worsened despite Trump’s pledges to improve them.
The Kremlin regrets Trump’s decision but is ready to maintain contacts with his administration, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.