Preparations for Putin-Trump Talks Delayed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump last met in late summer in the northern US state and the US president had indicated further discussions would take place in Budapest

Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.

Recently Trump said he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital within two weeks to address the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".

The White House declined to provide further information on why the talks had been postponed.

Earlier Events

The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with insiders suggesting Trump had pressured him to relinquish large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on Monday the American president endorsed a peace initiative supported by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the conflict on the current front line.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he remarked.

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the current line of contact.

The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, implying that pausing conflict would merely represent a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities demanded attention, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a set of extensive requirements that involve the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president said discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the United States was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.

Zelensky said it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he remarked.

Michael Williams
Michael Williams

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