Putin reportedly fears Budapest visit ahead of possible Trump meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
The Kremlin confirmed that the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been postponed and gave its own explanation. However, the Center for Countering Disinformation believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to be afraid to travel to Budapest, according to Russian media and CCD head Andriy Kovalenko.
What Russia said
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov, commenting on reports about the postponement of the talks, said that the meeting between Lavrov and Rubio allegedly required additional preparation.
According to him, "it is impossible to postpone something that has not been agreed upon.''
Reaction of the CCD
As noted by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely afraid to travel to the Hungarian capital for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
"It seems Putin is afraid to go to Budapest," he wrote.
According to the channel, the parties have different views on a possible end to the war in Ukraine. Because of this, journalists suggest, US President Donald Trump's plans for a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin could also fall through.
On October 16, Trump held a phone conversation with Putin, after which he announced that he would meet with the Kremlin leader in Budapest to discuss the possibility of ending this ''inglorious'' war between Russia and Ukraine.
After that, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán confirmed the start of preparations for the Trump–Putin meeting in the Hungarian capital.
