Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Shortly After Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested
There are "no preparations" for US President President Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.
Recently the US president indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House said the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "needed".
The administration did not share any more details on why the talks had been delayed.
Earlier Events
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming Trump had pushed him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
Nevertheless, on Monday the American president endorsed a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and EU officials to pause the hostilities on the existing battle lines.
"Freeze the lines in its current state," he remarked.
Moscow has frequently resisted against pausing the present battle positions.
Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a series of extensive requirements that encompass the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president said discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently came ahead of rumors that the United States was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target inside Russia.
Zelensky stated it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The talk about the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he commented.