US President Donald Trump has abruptly cancelled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was meant to take place at the G20 summit of leading economic powers in Buenos Aires.
Trump announced the move on Twitter while on his way to the summit, citing the geopolitical crisis that emerged when Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday.
"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 ... in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin," Trump said just hours before touching down in Buenos Aires.
"I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!" he added.
The decision to abstain from the meeting set for Saturday with Russia's president came hours after Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen admitted lying to Congress about a Trump Tower real estate project in Russia in the period leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
Trump is still due to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the summit. The talks are meant to help avert a worsening trade war between the world's two largest economies.
The White House meanwhile appeared to downgrade the level of planned talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and South Korea's Moon Jae-in, but spokeswoman Sarah Sanders insisted both meetings were still happening.
The Kremlin responded to Trump's announcement by saying it had no confirmation that the face-to-face was officially called off but indicated it would free up time for Putin to hold other meetings at the summit.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko praised his US counterpart after the Putin meeting was cancelled.
"This is how great leaders act!" he said on Twitter.
Trump's relationship with Putin has been marked by his praise for the Russian leader, even as he refused to lift previously imposed sanctions and added tough new measures on top Russian officials and elites.
At other times, Trump has taken a deferential stance toward Moscow, particularly when it came to the persistent evidence that Russia actively meddled in the 2016 US presidential election in a manner that helped Trump's campaign.
Prior to Trump cancelling his meeting with Putin, Cohen entered a new plea in which he admitted he lied to US lawmakers about the timing of conversations about a Trump Tower project in Moscow.
The deal was announced by the office of Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating the Russian election meddling, with a mandate to look into any ties to the Trump campaign.
Trump regularly bashes the Mueller investigation and has stepped up his attacks this month.
