Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Postponed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Talks Announced
There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.
This past week the US president said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House said the two had had a "productive" call and that a meeting was not "required".
The White House declined to provide any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Certain accounts indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with insiders indicating the president had urged him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Moscow.
However, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the present positions.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he said.
Moscow has frequently resisted against freezing the existing front lines.
Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on this week, implying that freezing the front line would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a series of comprehensive conditions that include the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president said discussions about the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.
He further commented the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday occurred before speculation that the US was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.
Zelensky asserted it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he remarked.