U.S. President Barack Obama will not meet with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Indonesia, having canceled his attendance in light of the looming U.S. budget crisis.
The White House said Thursday that the president would not travel overseas while the government shutdown was still in place. Instead, Obama will be working with Republican lawmakers toward drafting a budget plan that could put an end to the country’s political impasse and allow government bodies to resume normal operations.
“The president made this decision based on the difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of a shutdown, and his determination to continue pressing his case that Republicans should immediately allow a vote to reopen the government,” the White House said on its website.
Obama was expected to depart Saturday on a tour spanning Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia, concluding with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
The Moscow Times
