Arrangements for Trump-Putin Summit Postponed Days After Budapest Talks Suggested
There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has stated.
Recently Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest soon to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".
The administration withheld any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with insiders claiming Trump had pushed him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.
Yet, on Monday the American president supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the war on the current front line.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he said.
Russia has consistently objected against pausing the present battle positions.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on Tuesday, indicating that freezing the front line would only amount to a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of comprehensive conditions that involve the acceptance of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president stated talks regarding the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to evade negotiations.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday came ahead of speculation that the US was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit inside Russia.
Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he remarked.