Arrangements for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Days Following Budapest Talks Announced
There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has stated.
Recently the US president stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital within two weeks to discuss the war in Ukraine.
A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a meeting was not "needed".
The White House declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources indicating Trump had pressured him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.
Yet, on Monday the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the present positions.
"Let it be cut the way it is," he said.
Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against halting the present battle positions.
The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, implying that freezing the front line would simply constitute a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the conflict needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its European partners.
Zelensky commented talks regarding the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday preceded reports that the US was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target inside Russia.
Zelensky asserted it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he commented.