No confirmed timeline yet for Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest, says Kremlin spokesman

He said neither Trump nor Putin had specified a date for their planned meeting.

“Preparation is needed, serious preparation. You’ve heard statements from both the American side and ours that this may take some time. Therefore, there were no exact dates set at the outset,” he said.

When asked whether the Russian side had any understanding of when the summit might take place, Peskov replied, “No, there is no understanding.”

“Of course, proposals cannot be voiced in what you might call a ‘megaphone mode.’ This is still a rather discreet process that must remain so in the interest of the process itself and its effectiveness,” he said.

On Oct. 21, CNN reported that the meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, planned for this week, had been postponed indefinitely, putting the Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest into question.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Rubio and Lavrov were expected to meet on Thursday, Oct. 23, to hold preparatory talks ahead of the planned summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest.

On Oct. 19, The Wall Street Journal wrote that Rubio would lead the U.S. negotiating team with Russia, replacing presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff.

On Oct. 16, Trump held a phone call with Putin, after which he announced a new meeting with him in Budapest.

The U.S. leader said that talks with Russia, expected to take place within two weeks and to include discussions on Ukraine, would involve Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

On Oct. 17, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin indeed plans to meet with Trump, but that the talks must be preceded by “thorough preparation.”