Trump-Putin Talks on Hold: What's the Hold-Up?

The U. S. is not ready to set up another meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reason? There needs to be a good chance that the meeting will actually lead to something positive, like ending the war in Ukraine. This news comes after U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to reporters following a meeting with other foreign ministers from the Group of Seven countries. He made it clear that the U. S. wants to see real progress, not just another meeting for the sake of it. The war in Ukraine has been going on for over three years. Russia has been attacking Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles. The U. S. had suggested a ceasefire with no extra conditions, but Russia turned it down. That's why a planned meeting in Budapest, Hungary, was called off. Russia, however, seems eager to talk. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told CNN that Russia is ready to resume talks with Trump as soon as the U. S. is ready. He also said that Russia hopes Trump will help find a political solution to the war. But why did the U. S. cancel the meeting in Budapest? According to reports, Trump rejected it because Russia was not ready to make any concessions or stop the fighting. So, what's next? It seems like there won't be any high-level talks between the U. S. and Russia anytime soon. The U. S. wants to see a real chance for progress before any meeting happens.