Arrangements for Trump-Putin Summit Postponed Days After Budapest Negotiations Announced
Currently exist "no plans" for US President President Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.
This past week Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the war in Ukraine.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration said the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a meeting was not "necessary".
The White House did not share any more details on why the talks had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources indicating the president had pushed him to relinquish significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.
Nevertheless, on this week the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to pause the war on the present positions.
"Leave it as is in its current state," he said.
Russia has repeatedly pushed back against halting the current line of contact.
The Russian government was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on this week, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities required resolution, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of maximalist demands that include the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.
Zelensky commented discussions about the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.
He additionally stated the sole subject that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday occurred before rumors that the United States was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit Russian territory.
Zelensky stated it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The talk about the missiles had emerged as a "significant input" in international relations", he commented.