Yuri Kobzar 17:36, 31.10.25 UNIAN
Not only is the US president disappointed with his Moscow friend, but the Russian dictator is also upset by the inability to win his friend Donald over to his side
The collapse of the Budapest summit was the result of mutual disappointment between Putin and Trump, the Financial Times reports, citing informed sources.
For example, American officials were struck by the intransigence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. During a brief meeting with his American counterpart Marco Rubio in New York in September, he spoke of Ukraine being in the grip of “Nazis.” In a phone call in October that led to the collapse of the Budapest summit, Lavrov essentially repeated the same claims.
“Lavrov is clearly tired and seems to believe he has more important things to do than meet or engage with the United States, regardless of what President Putin wants there,” a person familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.
Trump is particularly irritated by Putin’s attempts to boast about imaginary successes on the front, sources say.
For his part, the Russian dictator is also “disappointed” with Trump, said Peter Schroeder, a former U.S. National Intelligence Council official who was responsible for Russia. “He (Putin) can’t make him (Trump) see things from his perspective or make him change his policies,” the former intelligence officer said.
Moscow makes it clear that the point where Trump and Putin’s mutual disappointment began was the summit in Alaska. According to Lavrov, Trump then supported Putin’s idea of the need to conclude a comprehensive peace agreement, but later returned to demanding an immediate ceasefire on the front.
“When they only talk about an immediate ceasefire, and then let history be the judge, this is a radical change. It also means that the Europeans are trying in every way to twist the hands of this administration,” Lavrov said in a recent interview.
War in Ukraine: US policy
As UNIAN wrote, observers are arguing about how much Trump is actually interested in ending the war in Ukraine . On the one hand, last week, the Trump administration for the first time imposed significant sanctions against Russia, hitting two of the largest oil companies.
On the other hand, observers emphasize that Trump changed his mind at the last moment about giving Ukraine Tomahawk missiles. In addition, he began a partial withdrawal of American troops from Europe. During a recent meeting with Xi Jinping, he also did not raise the topic of Russian oil, the purchase of which Beijing finances the war against Ukraine.
https://www.unian.ua/world/viyna-v-ukrajini-tramp-i-putin-rozcharovani-odne-odnim-13181547.html
TACO is holding all the cards, yet refuses to use them. Secondary sanctions have been gathering dust in the WH for 6 months. If used, they would stop the war in an instant, but TACO is always trying to work an angle for himself, instead of doing what is morally correct.
Doing what’s morally correct? That’s impossible when he has no morals.
How for God’s sake can one negotiate with corrupt ruSSian mafiosi without using their methods aka Tomahawks, Apaches, Gripens and total sanctions???
“finally hit it off” – Seems like a translation error. “Hit it off” is an idiom meaning, “To form an immediate, positive connection (with someone).”