Arrangements for Putin-Trump Talks Postponed Days After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Suggested
There are "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.
Last Thursday Trump indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital soon to discuss the ongoing hostilities.
A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration said the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "required".
The White House declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been delayed.
Previous Developments
Trump had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders claiming Trump had pressured him to give up large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
Nevertheless, on Monday Trump supported a truce plan backed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the conflict on the current front line.
"Leave it as is the way it is," he stated.
Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the present battle positions.
The Russian government was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Lavrov stated on this week, implying that halting hostilities would simply constitute a short-term truce.
Diplomatic Positions
The "root causes" of the conflict demanded attention, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a series of extensive requirements that involve the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president commented conversations concerning the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to evade negotiations.
He also said the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target Russian territory.
Zelensky said it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in international relations", he commented.