Plans for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Days After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Announced
There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.
This past week the US president indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".
The administration did not share any more details on why the talks had been postponed.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders suggesting Trump had pressured him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.
Yet, on Monday the American president supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the war on the present positions.
"Let it be cut where it stands," he remarked.
Moscow has consistently objected against pausing the current line of contact.
Moscow was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, implying that pausing conflict would only amount to a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of extensive requirements that encompass the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president said conversations concerning the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.
Military Considerations
Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently occurred before reports that the United States was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he remarked.