Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Budapest Negotiations Suggested
There are "no plans" for US President President Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has stated.
Last Thursday Trump said he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.
A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House said the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".
The administration did not share further information on why the talks had been delayed.
Previous Developments
The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Certain accounts suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources claiming Trump had pressured him to give up significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Moscow.
Yet, on this week the American president embraced a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the war on the present positions.
"Let it be cut where it stands," he remarked.
Russia has repeatedly pushed back against halting the present battle positions.
Moscow was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on this week, suggesting that pausing conflict would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities required resolution, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of extensive requirements that encompass the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president said discussions about the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.
He further commented the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday occurred before speculation that the United States was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit deep into Russia.
Zelensky asserted it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he remarked.