Plans for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Budapest Negotiations Proposed

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump previously convened in late summer in Alaska and the US president had said further discussions would occur in Budapest

There are "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has declared.

This past week Trump said he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the war in Ukraine.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for recently - but the administration said the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was not "required".

The administration withheld further information on why the talks had been postponed.

Earlier Events

Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders suggesting the president had urged him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump embraced a truce plan supported by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the war on the present positions.

"Let it be cut where it stands," he remarked.

Moscow has frequently resisted against pausing the current line of contact.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov said on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would simply constitute a brief pause.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of maximalist demands that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president commented talks regarding the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Military Considerations

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday occurred before speculation that the US was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he added.

Jessica Robbins
Jessica Robbins

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