Trump says may cancel Putin meeting at G20 summit over Ukraine clash

AVA- In an interview with The Washington Post published on Tuesday, Trump said he was awaiting a “full report” from his national security team about Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian naval ships and their crews on Sunday.
“That will be very determinative,” Trump told the newspaper. “Maybe I won’t have the meeting. Maybe I won’t even have the meeting ... I don’t like that aggression. I don’t want that aggression at all,” he said.
Trump is due to meet Putin on the sidelines of the annual G20 summit, which convenes on Friday and Saturday.
The Trump-Putin meeting will cover security issues, arms control, and issues in the Middle East and Ukraine, US National Security Adviser John Bolton told reporters.
The latest hostilities between Moscow and Kiev unfolded on Sunday when Russia’s naval forces intercepted and seized three Ukrainian vessels after they illegally entered Russian waters off the coast of Crimea in the Sea of Azov.
Crimea seceded from Ukraine and rejoined Russia in 2014, prompting the West to impose sanctions against Moscow.
The Kremlin has said the seizure of the Ukrainian ships was lawful because they were trespassing.
Ukraine’s lawmakers later adopted a martial law measure in the border regions of the country for 30 days during a Monday vote in the parliament.
The martial law gives Ukrainian officials the power to mobilize citizens with military experience, control the media, and impose restrictions on public rallies.
Some countries have claimed Russia is seeking to assert its dominion over the Sea of Azov.
Some European politicians have renewed calls for imposing further sanctions on Russia over the incident.
The US State Department urged European nations on Tuesday to do more to assist Ukraine in its standoff with Russia.
Trump held a summit with Putin in July in Helsinki, the Finnish capital, and then issued Putin an invitation to visit Washington in the autumn.
The meeting sparked outrage in Washington, including from lawmakers in Trump’s Republican Party, who criticized Trump’s treatment of Putin as an ally.