Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Budapest Negotiations Announced
There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.
Recently the US president stated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to discuss the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration said the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".
The administration did not share any more details on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders indicating Trump had pressured him to cede significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week Trump endorsed a peace initiative endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the current front line.
"Leave it as is the way it is," he remarked.
Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the existing front lines.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, indicating that freezing the front line would simply constitute a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the war required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that encompass the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president said conversations concerning the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.
He also said the sole subject that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the United States was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.
Zelensky asserted it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he commented.