Putin Rushes to Speak with Trump, Worried He May Be Offended

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump were scheduled to hold talks on Thursday their sixth publicly known conversation since Trump’s return to office. The meeting comes amid Washington’s failed attempts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.

On the same day, Putin abruptly left a plenary session at the “Strong Ideas for a New Time” forum, hosted by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. He apologized to the host and the audience, explaining that he had an urgent phone call with Trump. “Please don’t be upset,” Putin said. “I know we could have continued our discussion, but it would be awkward to keep [Trump] waiting he might take offense.”