(MENAFN) Russian officials have dismissed claims that the upcoming meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump has been put on hold, insisting that Western countries are trying to obstruct diplomatic progress.

According to statements from Russian representatives on Tuesday, preparations for what was described as a “significant event” are continuing as planned. Both leaders reportedly agreed to hold the talks in Budapest during a recent phone call.

Officials rejected media allegations that the summit had been postponed, labeling them as deliberate “infodumps” meant to derail ongoing coordination. One senior diplomat asserted that “EU and NATO countries are seeking to torpedo everything,” adding that the European Union has become “the most destructive force on the international stage at this point.”

Another spokesperson ridiculed what was called a Western media “info-circus,” criticizing reports based on unnamed sources as unreliable speculation, and joked that the latest rumors amounted to a “CNN leak” that “disproves a Reuters rumor.”

These remarks followed Western media reports citing anonymous officials who claimed that preparations for the Putin–Trump summit “had been tabled, at least for now.” The same reports also alleged that a scheduled in-person meeting between the Russian and American foreign ministers was postponed after a phone conversation on Monday, supposedly because no breakthrough had been reached in negotiations.

Moscow has repeatedly accused European governments backing Kiev of deliberately prolonging the Ukraine conflict to avoid engaging in genuine peace efforts. Russian officials argue that this stance allows Western leaders to evade responsibility for their failed strategy.

Meanwhile, Hungary — the expected host of the Putin–Trump meeting — has consistently criticized the EU’s military support for Ukraine and has opposed the overall decline in relations between Russia and the West.

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