Plans for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Suggested
There are "no plans" for American leader President Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.
Recently the US president indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest soon to examine the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was not "needed".
The White House did not share additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.
Previous Developments
The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar suggesting the president had urged him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week the American president supported a truce plan supported by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the war on the existing battle lines.
"Leave it as is in its current state," he stated.
Moscow has frequently resisted against halting the current line of contact.
Moscow was solely focused on "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that pausing conflict would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Political Perspectives
The "underlying reasons" of the conflict needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Moscow's terminology for a range of comprehensive conditions that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.
He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit Russian territory.
Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "significant input" in negotiations", he remarked.