White House: Putin-Trump Summit “Not Completely Off the Table”

By Staff, Agencies

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “remains a possibility” and “is not entirely ruled out.”

Trump called off a planned summit with Putin in Budapest a day earlier, after it was announced last week following a conversation between the two leaders.

Leavitt was asked to comment on the decision and the recent US sanctions on major Russian oil companies.

“A meeting between these two leaders is not completely off the table. I think the president and the entire administration hopes that one day that can happen again,” she replied.

Trump “has not seen enough interest in enough action” from Russia to move towards a peace settlement, she said. Moscow has maintained that it remains “fully committed” to a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict, provided its “root causes” are addressed.

Leavitt also addressed sanctions on Russia unveiled by the US Treasury Department on Wednesday.

“The president has always maintained that he would implement sanctions on Russia when he felt it was appropriate and necessary... and yesterday was that day,” she said.

Putin, speaking to the press on Thursday, noted that the “unfriendly move” causes “harm” to Russian-US relations, which he said “have just begun to recover.” Despite this, the sanctions would not significantly impact the Russian economy, he added.

The restrictions are yet another attempt by the US to strong-arm Russia, he said, stressing that “no self-respecting country” makes “decisions under pressure.”

The president also confirmed that the summit with Trump is postponed.

“What can I say? Dialogue is always better than confrontation, disputes, or, even more so, war,” Putin said, adding that Russia has always supported and continues to support diplomacy.