Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Postponed Days After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Announced
Currently exist "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.
Recently the US president indicated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "required".
The administration did not share further information on why the talks had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources claiming Trump had pressured him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
However, on this week the American president endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Leave it as is the way it is," he remarked.
Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against halting the existing front lines.
The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Lavrov commented on this week, implying that halting hostilities would only amount to a short-term truce.
Diplomatic Positions
The "underlying reasons" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of maximalist demands that include the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its European partners.
Zelensky stated discussions about the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.
He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.
Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the missiles had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he remarked.