(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday about the possibility of another encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following the sudden cancellation of their planned summit in Budapest, Hungary, last month.

"There is always a chance," Trump remarked when asked by a journalist during his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House.

Later, during a session in the Cabinet Room, the US leader explained that the reason the discussion did not take place was because the Russians "don't want to stop yet."
"I think they will. I think that's it's taken a big toll on Russia, big toll on both countries, obviously, but it's taken a big toll," Trump added, suggesting that both nations have faced significant strain from the ongoing tensions.

When questioned about whether he wished to keep Budapest as the venue for any forthcoming talks with Putin, Trump responded positively.

"I'd like to keep it in Hungary, in Budapest. That meeting, it turned out I didn't want to do that meeting because I didn't think anything was going to be happening of significance. But if we have it, I'd like to do it in Budapest, yeah, it'd be good," he stated.

Trump and Putin previously convened in Alaska on August 15, where they agreed to arrange another round of discussions in Budapest after consultations between their senior diplomats.

However, a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov—intended to establish the framework for the talks—instead resulted in the complete cancellation of the summit, according to a news agency.

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