How Trump moved to tough sanctions and abandoned a summit with Putin

Donald Trump has changed his mind about meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest, and the US Treasury has imposed sanctions on two of Russia's largest oil companies. RBC investigated why the US president changed his position and what NATO is offering him. How Trump has changed his rhetoric toward RUSSIA.

On the night of October 23, US President Donald Trump announced that he had cancelled a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest, which they had agreed to during a telephone conversation on October 16.

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"I didn't think it was right, I didn't think we could achieve the desired result... After every conversation with Vladimir, I'm left with a good impression of the conversation, but it never goes beyond words," Trump explained during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He did, however, allow for the possibility that such a meeting could still take place in the future.

That same evening, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as their subsidiaries. The department's press service stated that this decision was prompted by "Russia's lack of serious interest in the peace process." US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that his department stands ready to take further measures, if necessary, to support President Trump's efforts to resolve the conflict. He also called on US allies to join these sanctions and ensure their enforcement. Commenting on the Treasury Department's decision, Trump emphasized that the US had "waited too long" for reciprocal steps from Moscow, but admitted that the conflict would soon be resolved and the restrictions lifted.

On the evening of October 22, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported that the United States had lifted restrictions on Ukraine's use of certain long-range missiles provided by Western countries. According to the newspaper, this move will allow Ukraine to launch more strikes deep into Russia using British Storm Shadow missiles, which utilize US intelligence for guidance. The decision was made before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington, according to the publication's sources.

Trump denied the WSJ report, claiming Washington had given no permission to Ukraine. "The United States has nothing to do with these missiles, wherever they come from, or what Ukraine does with them!" he wrote in Truth Social. During his meeting with Rutte, he reiterated that Ukraine only uses European missiles to strike Russia.

As early as October 16, immediately after his phone call with Putin, Trump optimistically stated that their face-to-face meeting could take place "in a couple of weeks or a little more." The summit was expected to be preceded by a high-level meeting of delegations, with the US to be represented by Special Envoy SteveWhitkoff , Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance.

The very next day, October 17, Zelenskyy arrived at the White House . The Ukrainian president had hoped to negotiate the delivery of American Tomahawk missiles, especially since Trump had publicly raised this possibility in the preceding days. However, after speaking with Putin, the American president stated that the United States itself needed these weapons. According toBLOOMBERG , it was the conversation with the Russian leader that influenced his decision. CNN reported that the US administration had prepared a delivery plan in case the president changed his mind again. Speaking to reporters after the White House talks, Zelenskyy said only that the parties agreed not to publicly discuss the Tomahawks to avoid escalation.

Preparations for the Budapest summit began immediately after the leaders' phone call. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who was in Moscow on October 16 for Russian Energy Week, held phone conversations with Sergey Lavrov and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. The following day, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán contacted Putin.

On October 20, Lavrov and Rubio held a telephone conversation. The Russian Foreign Ministry described it as "constructive," and the State Department emphasized the "importance of the upcoming meetings." However, a series of conflicting media reports about the postponement of the talks soon followed, and a Trump administration spokesperson told RBC there was no need for a face-to-face meeting between the foreign ministers and no plans for a meeting in the near future. On October 22, the Kremlin announced that there was "no news" regarding the summit's timing, explaining that thorough preparations for such a meeting were first necessary.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Budapest summit, Orbán announced on the afternoon of October 22 that preparations for a meeting between the Russian and US presidents were continuing. "The date has not yet been set. When the time comes, we will organize it," the politician wrote on social media.

Szijjártó also arrived in Washington recently. Following the talks, he announced that Orbán himself would visit the US in early November, in part to discuss the Trump-Putin meeting. At the same time, the Hungarian Foreign Minister noted that the positions of Europe and Ukraine are hindering a peace settlement. "If European politicians had not obstructed Donald Trump's peace efforts, peace could return to Central and Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, Western European politicians are not interested in peace," the diplomat said.

The EU previously noted that there were no legal obstacles to holding a summit with Putin's participation in a bloc country. However, the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called the Russian president's possible visit to the EU "unpleasant."

How NATO and Kyiv see the settlement

Rutte arrived in Washington on an unannounced visit; the alliance's official press release gave no details about the purpose of the trip. Politico and several other Western media outlets interpreted Rutte's visit as a reaction to reports of a forthcoming Russia-US summit in Budapest. Speaking to reporters this afternoon, the alliance's Secretary General declined to comment on the cancellation of the Trump-Putin talks, stating that he had full confidence in the US president. "He's the only one who can do this," Rutte said, referring to a peaceful resolution. He said he had come to Washington to discuss with Trump what assistance NATO could provide in this matter.

As Bloomberg has discovered, the NATO Secretary General brought to Washington a 12-point peace plan prepared by Europe and Ukraine.

• At the first stage, it implies an announcement by Russia and Ukraine of a ceasefire and a commitment by the parties to “cease territorial claims”;
• This will be followed by the return of all deported children to Ukraine and an exchange of prisoners of war;
• At a later stage, Moscow and Kyiv will have to begin negotiations on the governance of territories controlled by Russian troops. However, as the publication emphasizes, neither Europe nor Ukraine "recognizes any occupied territory as Russian."
• According to this plan, Kyiv will receive security guarantees, funds to repair damage from military operations, and a “path to rapid EU accession.”
• Sanctions against Russia will be gradually lifted. However, the publication states that Moscow will only receive frozen Russian assets if it agrees to contribute to Ukraine's post-conflict reconstruction. Furthermore, the publication notes that the restrictions will be reinstated if Russia resumes military action.

Bloomberg emphasizes that the plan's details are still being finalized and are subject to change. Any proposal will also require approval from Washington, which is why other European officials may also travel to the US this week.

On October 21, several European politicians issued a joint statement with Zelenskyy, supporting Trump's proposal for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The document was signed by the leaders of the United Kingdom , Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Norway,Finland and Denmark. They also agreed that the current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations. The statement emphasized that only Ukraine is "serious about peace," while Russia is pursuing "delaying tactics." Against this backdrop, Kyiv's European allies believe Ukraine should maintain "the strongest possible position" and will therefore continue to increase pressure on the Russian economy and defense industry.

Meanwhile, EU permanent representatives have already agreed on a 19th sanctions package against Russia. It includes, among other things, a ban on Russian LNG imports from January 2027, restrictions on the free movement of Russian diplomats within the EU, and restrictive measures against an additional 117 vessels in the "shadow fleet." The bloc's leaders may approve it at the upcoming summit, which will be held in Brussels on October 23-24.

Another meeting of the "coalition of the willing"—a group of predominantly European countries working to develop security guarantees for Ukraine—is also scheduled for Friday. The hybrid talks will take place in London . French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelenskyy himself plan to attend in person . The Élysée Palace announced that the meeting will focus on increasing pressure on Russia, agreeing on security guarantees for Ukraine, and coordinating EU defense initiatives.

Last week, the European Commission presented a roadmap for the bloc's defense readiness by 2030 (Defense Readiness Roadmap 2030)—its goal is to address all gaps in this area and prepare for a possible clash with Russia. Moscow, however, has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to go to war with European countries or NATO.

Zelenskyy outlined Ukraine's current position on the settlement in several speeches following his meeting with Trump at the White House on October 17. It boils down to the fact that there must first be a ceasefire—the conflict must be frozen by establishing the current front line. As Zelenskyy said in an interview with NBC News, "We must remain where we are so as not to give Putin additional [territory]."

At the same time, he said, the West must continue to pressure Russia—through sanctions and the supply of long-range missiles. "The greater Ukraine's range, the greater Russia's willingness to end the war. <...> The discussion of Tomahawks proved to be a significant contribution to diplomacy: we forced Russia to admit that Tomahawks are precisely the card it takes seriously," Zelensky wrote inTELEGRAM October 21.

Putin and Trump raised the Tomahawk missiles in a phone call on October 16. The Kremlin stated that these missiles would not change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause "significant damage" to Russia-US relations, "not to mention the prospects for a peaceful settlement." 

At his meeting with Rutte, the American president made another argument against transferring the missiles to Ukraine: "It takes at least six months, and usually a full year, to learn how to operate them... And the only way to launch a Tomahawk is if we do it ourselves. And we're not going to do that."