White House responds rudely to question about Trump-Putin talks in Budapest
Photo: Karoline Leavitt and Steven Cheung (Getty Images)
White House staff sparked a wave of criticism after giving a rude response to a reporter who asked about the choice of location for the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, HuffPost reports.
The White House's rude response
After the US President announced plans to hold a new meeting with Putin in Budapest, a HuffPost journalist asked the White House why this particular location was chosen.
The choice of Hungary's capital drew attention because it was in Budapest that the 1994 Memorandum was signed, under which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the US, and the UK. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt unexpectedly replied to the journalist: "Your mom did."
A minute later, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung added even more briefly: "Your mom."
Context of the Trump-Putin meeting
Trump's announcement to meet Putin in Budapest caused a strong reaction, as Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum by annexing Crimea in 2014 and launching a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.
Since then, Moscow has continued attacks on Ukrainian cities, regularly using drones and missiles against civilian targets.
The choice of location can be seen as a symbolic humiliation of Ukraine.
Reaction and consequences
The White House's response shocked journalists and the public. Many media representatives called the press office's behavior unprofessional and unacceptable for a presidential administration.
So far, the White House has not apologized for the comments, and the quotes quickly circulated on social media, sparking widespread outrage.
Trump himself stated that he chose Hungary for talks with Putin out of respect for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto indicated that Budapest would ignore the arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court.
