Russia was smug about Trump-Putin talks. Now they're on hold, Moscow's anxious

Russia scrambled connected Wednesday to salvage the imaginable of in-person talks betwixt U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin aft they were unceremoniously enactment connected hold.

Trump said connected Tuesday that helium didn't privation "to person a wasted meeting" with Putin, which was acceptable to instrumentality spot successful Hungary successful the adjacent fewer weeks, arsenic it became wide that Russia opposes the thought of an contiguous ceasefire with Ukraine.

"I don't privation to person a discarded of clip — truthful we'll spot what happens," Trump said pursuing a telephone connected Monday betwixt U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

After the call, Russia's apical diplomat told reporters successful Moscow that helium had told Rubio that "Russia has not changed its position" since Trump and Putin met successful Alaska successful August, and that portion Moscow wanted a "lasting and sustainable peace," it was not funny successful an "immediate ceasefire that volition pb to nothing."

After those comments, and with Trump seemingly pouring acold h2o connected the thought of gathering Putin again, the Kremlin appeared to spell into harm regulation mode, insisting connected Wednesday that the dates for the acme successful Budapest "weren't set" but that preparations were inactive underway.

"This is yet to beryllium done. Careful mentation is needed earlier then. Time is needed for that," Dmitry Peskov, Putin's property secretary, told reporters, successful comments translated by NBC News.

"There's nary quality yet; it's wide that each of this is surrounded by a batch of gossip, rumors, and truthful on. For the astir part, they are wholly untrue. There's nary quality yet," helium added.

The suspension of talks with Russia appears to beryllium yet different U-turn from the U.S. administration, which has seesawed this twelvemonth implicit its presumption connected Russia, the Ukraine warfare and its causes, and its imaginable resolution.

There was much than a whiff of smugness and schadenfreude successful Moscow, and Russian authorities media, past week erstwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's ain in-person talks with Trump past Friday appeared to spell badly.

Particularly aft Russia had efficaciously undermined the talks by getting successful determination first, gaining Trump's receptor with a "very productive" telephone telephone — arsenic Trump described it — that was held with Putin. It was during that telephone erstwhile the leaders agreed to conscionable successful idiosyncratic wrong a mates of weeks.

Trump and his squad appeared to vacillate connected their enactment for Ukraine aft that call, with Zelenskyy leaving the White House the adjacent time bare handed, with nary long-range Tomahawk missiles, arsenic requested, and concerns that it could beryllium pressured to springiness up occupied territory successful eastbound Ukraine.

Those fears grew erstwhile Trump past play called for the partially Russian-occupied portion of Donbas, the epicenter of ongoing warring successful the three-and-a fractional twelvemonth war, to beryllium "cut the mode it is."

"It's chopped up close now, I deliberation 78% of the onshore is already taken by Russia," the president said connected Air Force One connected Sunday. "They should halt close present astatine the conflict lines. ... Go home, halt sidesplitting radical and beryllium done."

Ukraine and a radical of European allies pushed backmost against Trump's position, informing in a associated statement Tuesday that Russia was utilizing "stalling tactics" to prolong the war. Wary of alienating Trump, however, they were cautious to praise his efforts to bring some sides to the negotiating table.

"We powerfully enactment President Trump's presumption that the warring should halt immediately, and that the existent enactment of interaction should beryllium the starting constituent of negotiations. We stay committed to the rule that planetary borders indispensable not beryllium changed by force," European leaders noted.

Now the tables person turned again, Moscow appears to beryllium feeling anxious, with the Kremlin insisting it is superior astir ending the war.

"No 1 wants to discarded time. Neither President Trump nor President Putin. These are 2 presidents who are accustomed to moving efficaciously and efficiently, but effectiveness ever requires preparation," Peskov stated Wednesday.

Various Russian officials successful Putin's inner-circle accused media outlets of spreading "fake news" astir the "cancellation" of the Hungary acme successful a bid to undermine it.

"Media is twisting remark astir the 'immediate future' to undercut the upcoming Summit. Preparations continue," Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's concern envoy and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, commented connected the X societal network.

Russian overseas ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova besides presented a akin argument, telling Radio Sputnik connected Wednesday that an "information circus" surrounded the Trump-Putin summit.

"This full accusation circus which, by the way, they haven't finished yet, it's inactive going on: Fake leaks, self-corrections, confirmations, denials, beryllium to erstwhile again supply informational enactment to Zelenskyy," she said, successful comments translated by NBC News.