Trump cancels meeting with Putin as Ukraine intensifies pressure

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Nov. 29 that
he has canceled his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, planned for
today at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, after Russia had ignored calls to
return Ukrainian ships and sailors to Ukraine. In response, Russian
presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his regrets about Trump’s
decision, adding that Putin remains ready to hold talks with Trump in the
future. The cancelation means that “the discussion of serious issues on the
international and bilateral agenda is delayed for an undetermined time,” Peskov
said.

Zenon Zawada: Regardless
of his personal opinions of Ukraine and Crimea, Trump has provided the
strongest leadership among Western leaders in resisting and pressuring Putin to
halt his campaign of military aggression against Ukraine. We expect Trump’s
support for Ukraine to remain consistently strong for years to come. That will
prompt Putin to continue to play politics in the EU, lending support to
populist-nationalists – particularly in France and Germany – to undermine the
Western unity that currently exists in resisting his geopolitical plans.