Trump cancels meeting with Putin at G-20 summit

BUENOS AIRES — President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is canceling a planned bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here, citing Russia’s recent confrontation with Ukrainian ships.

“Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting….,” Trump tweeted, adding in a second tweet, “….in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!”

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Trump has been under increasing pressure to take a hard line on Russia’s decision to fire on Ukrainian ships in waters off the Crimean Peninsula and capture their crew.

The decision to scuttle the meeting comes on the same day that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about, among other things, having conversations with Trump about a Russian real estate project during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump asserted to reporters earlier Thursday that Cohen was lying to get a reduced sentence.

Cohen struck his plea deal Thursday with special counsel Robert Mueller, marking the second time the special counsel’s has made a major move in its probe just ahead of a planned Trump meeting with Putin. The special counsel previously indicted 12 Russian military officials just days before Trump met with Putin in Helsinki, Finland.

A White House spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether the Cohen fallout affected the decision to cancel the meeting.

Trump announced the cancellation of the Putin meeting aboard Air Force One en route to the G-20 conference. He appeared to change his mind quickly about whether to attend. Before departing the White House, he told reporters that he would press on with the huddle.

“We thought about terminating that meeting, but … I think it’s a good time to have the meeting,” he said. “I’m getting a full report on [the] plane with what happened with respect to [the Ukraine situation] and that will determine whether I will be meeting [with Putin].”

Earlier this week, White House aides said Trump was expected to discuss national security and economic issues with Putin.

July’s high-profile Trump-Putin summit in Finland ended up mired in controversy after the U.S. president publicly sided with Moscow over his own intelligence agencies and refused to condemn the Russia for interfering in the 2016 election.

Trump has repeatedly come under fire for appearing to defer to Putin’s denials about election interference, though he and the White House have sought to walk back those comments.

During his weekend trip to Buenos Aires, Trump is scheduled to participate in several other bilateral meetings with world leaders, including a Saturday dinner meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during which they hope to make progress on the countries’ trade dispute.

Matthew Choi contributed to this story.