Preparations for Putin-Trump Talks Delayed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Announced
There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.
This past week Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital within two weeks to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was not "required".
The White House did not share any more details on why the talks had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
The US president had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a day before meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with those familiar indicating the president had pushed him to cede significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.
However, on this week Trump endorsed a truce plan endorsed by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the war on the current front line.
"Freeze the lines where it stands," he said.
Russia has consistently objected against halting the current line of contact.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister stated on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would simply constitute a short-term truce.
Political Perspectives
The "fundamental issues" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that encompass the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president commented conversations concerning the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently preceded reports that the United States was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target inside Russia.
Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in international relations", he remarked.