Preparations for Trump-Putin Summit Postponed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed
Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.
Recently the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest soon to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".
The administration did not share any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources suggesting Trump had urged him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Moscow.
Nevertheless, on this week the American president endorsed a truce plan endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the war on the existing battle lines.
"Freeze the lines in its current state," he remarked.
Moscow has consistently objected against pausing the existing front lines.
The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the conflict needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.
Zelensky commented discussions about the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.
He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the US was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The talk about the weapons systems had turned out to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he added.