Plans for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Suggested
There are "no arrangements" for American leader President Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.
Last Thursday Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "constructive" call and that a face-to-face session was no longer "needed".
The administration did not share additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.
Previous Developments
Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Certain accounts indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders suggesting the president had pushed him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.
However, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and EU officials to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he said.
Russia has frequently resisted against pausing the existing front lines.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.
Diplomatic Positions
The "underlying reasons" of the conflict required resolution, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of extensive requirements that include the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president said talks regarding the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
The Russian president's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday came ahead of speculation that the US was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had turned out to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he commented.