Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Budapest Talks Suggested
Currently exist "no plans" for US President President Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has announced.
Last Thursday the US president said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to address the ongoing hostilities.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was planned for recently - but the White House said the two had had a "productive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".
The White House did not share further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Certain accounts suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders indicating Trump had urged him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.
However, on this week the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal supported by Ukraine and EU officials to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Let it be cut where it stands," he said.
Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the current line of contact.
The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, indicating that freezing the front line would simply constitute a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the war required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of extensive requirements that encompass the acceptance 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 stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.
He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of reports that the United States was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The talk about the missiles had proven to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he added.