Preparations for Putin-Trump Talks Postponed Shortly Following Budapest Negotiations Proposed
There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has declared.
Last Thursday the US president stated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to address the war in Ukraine.
A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was not "required".
The administration did not share additional specifics 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 day before hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Certain accounts indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources indicating the president had pressured him to give up significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.
Nevertheless, on Monday the American president endorsed a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and EU officials to pause the hostilities on the present positions.
"Freeze the lines where it stands," he said.
Russia has consistently objected against halting the current line of contact.
Moscow was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister stated on Tuesday, indicating that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities demanded attention, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of maximalist demands that include the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its European partners.
Zelensky stated discussions about the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.
He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he added.