Plans for Trump-Putin Talks Postponed Shortly Following Budapest Talks Suggested
There are "no plans" for American leader President Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has announced.
This past week Trump indicated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for recently - but the administration said the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a meeting was no longer "required".
The administration declined to provide additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with insiders claiming the president had urged him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.
However, on this week the American president supported a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Let it be cut where it stands," he said.
Moscow has consistently objected against pausing the current line of contact.
Moscow was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, implying that halting hostilities would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a series of comprehensive conditions that encompass the acceptance of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president said discussions about the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader stated it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he added.