Plans for Trump-Putin Summit Postponed Days After Budapest Negotiations Proposed
There are "no preparations" for US President President Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.
Recently the US president said he and the Russian president would hold talks in Budapest in the coming fortnight to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a meeting was not "necessary".
The administration withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.
Previous Developments
Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar indicating Trump had pushed him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Russia.
However, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Leave it as is where it stands," he stated.
Russia has consistently objected against halting the current line of contact.
The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would merely represent a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its Western allies.
Zelensky commented conversations concerning the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.
Military Considerations
Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently preceded rumors that the United States was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike Russian territory.
Zelensky stated it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he commented.