Trump says he may cancel Putin meeting, White House warns Xi
WASHINGTON—US President Donald Trump cast into doubt a key component of his upcoming trip to an international summit in Argentina as he suggested Tuesday he may cancel his planned sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian naval ships last weekend.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump said he would be receiving a "full report" from his national security team on Russia's recent actions in eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea. He said he would decide on a course afterward.
"Maybe I won't have the meeting," he said. "Maybe I won't even have the meeting."
Trump added: "I don't like that aggression. I don't want that aggression at all."
The comments were Trump's strongest to date in condemnation of Russia's recent actions in Ukraine, where tensions are flaring. But White House aides were still planning for the Putin meeting after Trump's comments.
The meeting between Trump and Putin is set to be just one of several high-profile foreign policy engagements for the US leader on the whirlwind two-day visit to Argentina. Trump is also set meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping over dinner this weekend, in what may be a pivotal session to determining if and how the ongoing trade dispute between their two countries could be resolved.
