Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Postponed Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested
There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has stated.
Last Thursday the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest in the coming fortnight to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration said the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a meeting was not "necessary".
The administration withheld any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources claiming Trump had urged him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.
However, on Monday the American president embraced a peace initiative supported by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Let it be cut the way it is," he stated.
Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the present battle positions.
The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, suggesting that pausing conflict would merely represent a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a series of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president commented talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the missiles had emerged as a "significant input" in diplomacy", he added.