Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to have talks with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump but after two failed attempts to meet in less than a month, it’s up to Washington to make the first move, according to the Kremlin.
“We won’t beg the American side or impose ourselves,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters Tuesday in Moscow. “Now it all depends on the Americans.”
Trump called off planned talks with Putin at last week’s Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires a day before they were due to meet, citing Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian navy vessels and crew in the Kerch Strait near Crimea. They discussed the naval clash when they met briefly on the sidelines of the summit.
The failed meeting followed the cancellation of talks planned for Paris Nov. 11 during commemorations for the centenary of the end of World War I.
“I would underline that there’s no offense taken, just regret,” over Trump’s refusal to meet Putin in Argentina, Ushakov said. The two sides have “serious disagreements” on issues such as strategic stability that require discussion, and while Russia understands that U.S. officials want to meet, it’s unclear when, he said.
