Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed
There are "no arrangements" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.
Recently the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital soon to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House said the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".
The administration did not share further information on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.
Previous Developments
The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with those familiar indicating the president had pressured him to relinquish extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week Trump supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and EU officials to pause the war on the current front line.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he stated.
Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the existing front lines.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on this week, indicating that freezing the front line would simply constitute a brief pause.
Political Perspectives
The "fundamental issues" of the war demanded attention, the Russian diplomat stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of maximalist demands that encompass the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its Western allies.
Zelensky stated talks regarding the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
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 theoretically target deep into Russia.
Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he commented.