Arrangements for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin last met in August in Alaska and the American leader had indicated further talks would take place in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has announced.

Recently Trump said he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the ongoing hostilities.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House said the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a meeting was not "required".

The administration withheld any more details on why the talks had been delayed.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports suggested his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with those familiar claiming the president had pushed him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.

However, on this week Trump endorsed a truce plan backed by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Freeze the lines the way it is," he said.

Moscow has consistently objected against pausing the existing front lines.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a brief pause.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a series of maximalist demands that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky stated discussions about the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "take notice" 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 occurred before reports that the US was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

Zelensky stated it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the missiles had emerged as a "significant input" in international relations", he remarked.

Janet Nichols
Janet Nichols

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