MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday expressed surprise upon learning from US media that the upcoming Russia-US summit might be postponed.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov said many Western news outlets, including CNN, "are well-known for their lack of integrity."

"Today I read with astonishment that according to (US TV channel) CNN, the meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump could be delayed because after yesterday's conversation with Secretary Marco Rubio, American officials concluded that Russia's position had changed very little since then and remained within its initial maximalist demands," he said.

Lavrov criticized American media outlets for opting for "simplistic slogans" rather than engaging in serious analytical work.

On Oct. 16, following a phone call with Putin, Trump announced plans to meet in Budapest within two weeks.

Yury Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide on foreign affairs, said Moscow and Washington would promptly begin preparing for another leaders’ meeting, possibly organized in Hungary's capital city.

Lavrov recounted discussing the matter extensively with Rubio during their previous day's telephone conversation, during which, he said, they reaffirmed their commitment to implementing agreements reached by the two presidents.

"We confirmed our firm resolve to proceed based on those understandings and arrangements agreed upon by presidents Putin and Trump, primarily in Alaska, and during subsequent telephonic consultations," he said.

Lavrov said he talked with Rubio about how best to prepare for another potential presidential meeting proposed by Trump in Budapest.

"The location isn’t the most important factor here, although it's significant given the current political climate where certain parties oppose viewing the European Union as a union of sovereign states, preferring instead centralized decision-making through Brussels bureaucracy," he said.

He stressed that what matters most is not the place or timing, but ensuring the two sides move forward effectively while addressing substantive challenges previously agreed upon.

Lavrov said he agreed with Rubio to maintain an ongoing dialogue via additional calls to better assess the current state of affairs and determine the right course of action.

Addressing Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski's threats concerning the safety of Putin's plane in Europe's airspace, Lavrov called them an indication of readiness "to commit terrorist acts."

"I've learned that Mr. Sikorski threatened that security measures for President Putin's aircraft would not be guaranteed when flying over Poland en route to a possible summit in Budapest," said Lavrov.

Commenting on European politicians' appeals for an immediate ceasefire before reaching comprehensive sustainable solutions in Ukraine, Lavrov characterized them as contradictory to prior commitments made by Russian and American leaders in Alaska.

He pointed out that Europeans urged Americans to change their stance, seeking merely a temporary cessation rather than a lasting resolution, saying: "Immediate ceasefires now being advocated, unlike resolving core problems, eliminate primary causes and mean nothing more than leaving large parts of Ukraine under Nazi rule."