Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Delayed Days After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed
Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has declared.
Last Thursday Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the war in Ukraine.
A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for recently - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "required".
The administration declined to provide further information on why the talks had been delayed.
Earlier Events
The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming Trump had pushed him to give up significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.
However, on Monday the American president endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the hostilities on the current front line.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he remarked.
Russia has consistently objected against freezing the present battle positions.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov said on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would simply constitute a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a series of comprehensive conditions that include the acceptance of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
Zelensky said discussions about the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Strategic Factors
The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently occurred before reports that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit Russian territory.
Zelensky said it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had turned out to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he commented.