WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Friday there is still a possibility he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their planned summit in Budapest, Hungary, was abruptly canceled last month.

“There is always a chance,” Trump told reporters while hosting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House.

Later, speaking in the Cabinet Room, Trump said the meeting did not take place because “the Russians don’t want to stop yet.”

“I think they will. I think it’s taken a big toll on Russia — big toll on both countries, obviously — but it’s taken a big toll,” he said.

When asked if Budapest would remain the preferred location for a future meeting with Putin, Trump replied affirmatively.

“I’d like to keep it in Hungary, in Budapest. That meeting, it turned out I didn’t want to do that meeting because I didn’t think anything was going to be happening of significance. But if we have it, I’d like to do it in Budapest, yeah, it’d be good,” he said.

Trump and Putin last met in Alaska on Aug. 15, when they agreed to hold follow-up talks in Budapest after consultations between their top diplomats.

However, a phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meant to finalize the summit’s agenda, instead led to its cancellation.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Wednesday that conditions for the meeting “have not yet been met,” emphasizing the need for detailed preparation before any new summit is organized.

He added that both foreign ministries are continuing preparatory discussions, focusing on adding “specifics” to the framework agreed upon by the two leaders during their Alaska meeting. — Agencies