Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Days Following Budapest Negotiations Proposed
Currently exist "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.
Last Thursday the US president indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco 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" call and that a meeting was no longer "needed".
The White House declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.
Earlier Events
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with the Russian leader, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources claimed his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources suggesting Trump had pushed him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.
Yet, on this week the American president endorsed a truce plan supported by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the hostilities on the current front line.
"Let it be cut where it stands," he said.
Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the present battle positions.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, suggesting that halting hostilities would merely represent a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the war required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of maximalist demands that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.
Zelensky stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently occurred before rumors that the United States was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the missiles had turned out to be a "significant input" in negotiations", he remarked.