Preparations for Putin-Trump Summit Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed
Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.
This past week the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest in the coming fortnight to examine the Ukraine conflict.
A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was not "needed".
The administration did not share further information on why the talks had been delayed.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Certain accounts claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with sources suggesting the president had urged him to relinquish significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.
However, on this week Trump supported a truce plan supported by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Leave it as is the way it is," he remarked.
Moscow has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.
The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a brief pause.
Diplomatic Positions
The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat stated, using Moscow's terminology for a set of extensive requirements that encompass the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.
The Ukrainian president said talks regarding the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Strategic Factors
The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of reports that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had turned out to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he added.