Washington/Moscow/Kyiv – US President Donald Trump has, according to his own statement,"cancelled" the proposed imminent meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (73) in Budapest.

It"didn't feel like we were getting where we needed to be," the Republican said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (58) at the White House on Wednesday afternoon (local time). However, Trump said there will be a meeting between him and Putin in the future.

“Talks lead to nothing”

Trump on negotiations with the Russian warmonger:"Well, I guess as far as honesty goes, I can only say: Every time I talk to Vladimir, I have good talks—and then they go nowhere," he said."They just go nowhere."

Simultaneously with Trump's statement, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil (both with various subcontractors such as Gazprom), and condemned Moscow's refusal to end the"senseless war."

According to the statement, the ministry is"ready to go further if necessary." US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (63) also called on US allies to join the sanctions. Following Bessent's announcement, Trump said he hoped the"massive" sanctions against Russia would be short-lived.

He hoped the new sanctions would bring Putin to his senses. He also hoped the sanctions wouldn't have to remain in place for long. The EU plans to adopt a complete ban on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia (which was originally scheduled to take effect in 2027) on Thursday morning.

Trump denies report on Ukraine weapons

In addition to the announced sanctions, the Trump administration has reportedly lifted a crucial restriction, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). According to the report, Ukraine will now be allowed to use certain Western-made long-range missiles for attacks on Russian territory.

As the WSJ reports, the release primarily concerns the British Storm Shadow cruise missile, which has a range of approximately 290 kilometers and is guided using US targeting data. On Tuesday, such a missile struck the Russian city of Bryansk—its target: a factory producing explosives and rocket fuel. The Ukrainian General Staff called it a"successful hit."

According to the report, the decision was made without public announcement. Responsibility for such authorizations shifted from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (45) to the top US general in Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, who is also a NATO commander. Washington thus granted Ukraine more freedom to launch cross-border attacks.

Trump: “Fake News!”

Shortly after the report became public, Trump denied it:"The United States has nothing to do with these missiles—no matter where they came from or what Ukraine does with them!" the president said on his short message service Truth Social. He called the Wall Street Journal article"fake news."