Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the decision to hold the summit in Budapest was taken jointly by Russian and American Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Anadolu Agency reported.
He told a news conference in Moscow that efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict are stalled and require intervention by Russian and American leaders, but careful planning is needed.
When asked who came up with the idea to meet, he replied, “It was a mutual wish.” “Certainly, high levels of engagement are required because of the holdup that has occurred. But engagement must be carefully planned.”
There is currently no news about holding a summit in Budapest, the spokesperson said, adding that gossip and speculation about the meeting do not correspond to reality.
“Again, so far, there is no news. It is clear that all this is surrounded by a lot of gossip, chatter, etc., most of which fundamentally contradicts reality. There is no news yet,” he said.
In response to a question about whether a recently delivered “secret document” containing the conditions for resolving the Ukraine issue was handed over to the United States, Peskov said Russia’s position on the Ukraine settlement is well known and repeatedly stated.
“Russia has done something like this many times. The elements of our position are widely known. They have been clearly formulated by the president and are well understood,” Peskov added.
Asked about Putin’s phone call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Peskov said it was not on the agenda.
Commenting on the US president’s statement that he would not waste time at the upcoming summit, he stressed that both presidents do not want to waste time, but that proper preparation is necessary to achieve results.
“Neither President Trump nor President Putin wants to waste time. These two presidents are used to working efficiently and productively. But efficiency always requires thorough preparation,” Peskov explained.
Regarding the question of whether preparations for the meeting are currently suspended or whether the date is simply undecided, Peskov clarified that the date has not yet been set and that additional preparatory work is required before a decision can be made.
Turning to other international issues, the official said a new date for the postponed Russia-Arab summit in October has not been set, but there is no intention to postpone it indefinitely.
It was also announced that President Putin will not attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit to be held in South Africa on November 21 and 22.
MNA