Russian President Putin responded harshly to US President Trump, saying,"Sanctions do not affect the Russian economy; this is not a friendly action." Regarding the Hungary meeting that Trump canceled, Putin said,"Both the meeting itself and the location were suggested by the US."

Last week, US President Trump announced that he might meet with Russian President Putin in Budapest to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war. However, after the White House statement, all eyes turned to Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the offer to meet in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, came from the United States, saying,"Making contacts is better than continuing the war." Following an event held in the capital, Moscow, Putin answered questions from members of the Russian press on current issues.

Stating that the new US sanctions against Russia will not significantly affect the Russian economy, Putin said that if Russian oil prices decrease rapidly in global markets, there will be an increase in energy prices.

Putin stated that sanctions are being used as a pressure tool against Russia, and that the US is damaging relations with this step. Putin explained that the new sanctions will not affect the Russian economy and that this is not a friendly approach.

Possible attack by Ukraine with long-range missiles

Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s statement that he canceled the summit planned to be held in Budapest, Putin said, “Both the meeting itself and the meeting place were offered by the US.”

Putin commented that Trump had"probably" postponed the summit, saying,"Contacts are always better than continuing the war. That's why we have always supported the continuation of dialogue and we support it now."

Stating that intensive preparations for the summit are necessary, Putin emphasized the importance of initiating these efforts first with the foreign ministers of the two countries.

Pointing out that tensions would escalate if Ukraine launched an attack on the interior of Russian territory with long-range missiles, Putin said,"Russia will respond to this in a serious and decisive manner."

'IT IS TIME TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA'

The US Treasury Department has added two major Russian oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, and their subsidiaries to its sanctions list. The department said in a statement that the move stemmed from Russia's failure to demonstrate a serious commitment to the peace process to end the war in Ukraine.

The statement, which included information that Russia's two major oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, have been placed on the sanctions list, also noting that their subsidiaries have been added. The statement added that the sanctions will increase pressure on Russia's energy sector and"undermine the Kremlin's ability to generate revenue for war and support its weakened economy."

The statement, which stated that the US Treasury Department would continue to use its authority to support the peace process, said:"The United States will continue to advocate for a peaceful resolution of the war, and lasting peace depends entirely on Russia's willingness to negotiate in good faith."

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, whose views were included in the statement, also stated that sanctions were imposed on Russia's two largest oil companies that financed the war because Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to end the war.

"The Treasury Department stands ready to take further action, if necessary, to support President Trump's efforts to end another war. We urge our allies to join us and comply with these sanctions," Bessent said.

US President Donald Trump said,"I canceled the meeting with President Putin because it didn't feel right to me," regarding his planned but canceled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest.

US President Trump hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House while addressing the press. Regarding the planned but canceled summit with Russian President Putin, Trump said,"I canceled the meeting with President Putin because it didn't feel right. I didn't think we could reach our goal. That's why I canceled it, but we will do it in the future."

Expressing his great disappointment over the failure of Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement, Trump implied that they would send harsher messages to Moscow with economic sanctions.

US President Trump commented on Russia's decision to add two major oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, to the sanctions list, saying,"I felt the time had come, I've waited a long time. These are very heavy sanctions."

Emphasizing the importance of sanctions imposed on Russian oil companies, Trump said,"These are very significant sanctions against their two major oil companies, and we hope they don't last long. We hope they end the war."

US President Trump, who stated that his meetings with Putin were generally good, later complained that these meetings did not yield positive results.

Trump also said that Russian President Putin"wants all of what he has seized in Ukraine," but that he was now ready to negotiate, adding,"We don't want him to take all of it."

Trump, on the other hand, said that the Russian President had mentioned"the issue of nuclear weapons" in his phone call with Putin."President Putin talked to me about de-escalation regarding nuclear weapons in the phone call. I have no problem with that, I think that's a good thing. I think it's a very appropriate thing," Trump said.

Stating that the United States has the most nuclear weapons in the world, followed by Russia in second and China in third place, Trump stated that he was open to negotiations on nuclear disarmament.

NATO Secretary General Rutte said he believes Trump has influence over Putin and can persuade him to stop the war.

Rutte underlined that NATO will continue to provide strong support to Ukraine.

TRUMP: I DON'T WANT TO MEET WITH PUTIN FOR NO PURPOSE

US President Donald Trump, when asked about the summit with Putin, which was planned to be held in Budapest but reportedly has been postponed, said,"I don't want to have a pointless meeting. I don't want to waste my time." The US President continued, implying that the meeting could still take place, saying,"We haven't made a decision yet."

Responding to a question about why he canceled the meeting with Putin, Trump said,"I didn't say anything. I didn't say that. You never know what's going to happen. We'll keep you informed about what we're going to do in the next two days," indicating that a potential summit was still possible. The US President stated that he still believed a ceasefire was possible in the Russia-Ukraine War.