Arrangements for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Shortly After Budapest Negotiations Announced
There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.
This past week Trump said he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration said the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a meeting was not "required".
The administration withheld any more details on why the talks had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with sources suggesting Trump had urged him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.
However, on Monday the American president endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Leave it as is where it stands," he stated.
Moscow has frequently resisted against pausing the current line of contact.
The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
Zelensky stated discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.
He further commented the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Strategic Factors
Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently came ahead of rumors that the United States was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he commented.