Plans for Putin-Trump Talks Delayed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Suggested
There are "no arrangements" for US President President Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has stated.
Recently Trump indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "productive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".
The White House withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar indicating Trump had pressured him to relinquish large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
Yet, on this week Trump supported a peace initiative supported by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the present positions.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he remarked.
Moscow has frequently resisted against halting the present battle positions.
The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, indicating that halting hostilities would simply constitute a brief pause.
Diplomatic Positions
The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of comprehensive conditions that involve the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president said talks regarding the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to avoid diplomacy.
He also said the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's unscheduled call with the US leader recently occurred before rumors that the US was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he remarked.