Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Postponed Days Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed
There are "no arrangements" for US President President Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.
Recently the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital soon to examine the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for recently - but the White House said the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was no longer "needed".
The administration declined to provide any more details on why the talks had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources indicating Trump had urged him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.
Yet, on this week the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Freeze the lines in its current state," he stated.
Russia has frequently resisted against pausing the present battle positions.
Moscow was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a short-term truce.
Diplomatic Positions
The "fundamental issues" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of extensive requirements that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its European partners.
The Ukrainian president stated talks regarding the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently preceded rumors that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target inside Russia.
Zelensky said it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The talk about the missiles had emerged as a "significant input" in negotiations", he added.