Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed
There are "no preparations" for US President President Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has declared.
Last Thursday Trump stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the ongoing hostilities.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the administration stated the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".
The White House withheld additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders suggesting the president had pressured him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.
Yet, on Monday the American president endorsed a ceasefire proposal supported by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the war on the current front line.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he stated.
Moscow has frequently resisted against pausing the present battle positions.
The Russian government was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would simply constitute a brief pause.
Diplomatic Positions
The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities demanded attention, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that include the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its European partners.
Zelensky said discussions about the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the only topic that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
Strategic Factors
The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday preceded rumors that the United States was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.
Zelensky 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 "significant input" in diplomacy", he added.