Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested
Currently exist "no arrangements" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.
Recently Trump said he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest soon to examine the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was not "required".
The administration did not share further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources claimed his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar suggesting Trump had urged him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week Trump supported a truce plan supported by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the existing battle lines.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he remarked.
Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the existing front lines.
Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov said on Tuesday, implying that halting hostilities would merely represent a short-term truce.
Political Perspectives
The "root causes" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of maximalist demands that involve the recognition of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
Zelensky stated talks regarding the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently occurred before rumors that the US was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The talk about the missiles had turned out to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he added.