Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Postponed Days Following Budapest Negotiations Suggested

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin last met in late summer in the northern US state and the American leader had said further talks would take place in the Hungarian capital

There are "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

This past week the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest soon to discuss the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "constructive" call and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".

The White House did not share further information on why the talks had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources suggesting the president had pressured him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the conflict on the present positions.

"Leave it as is the way it is," he said.

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the present battle positions.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on this week, implying that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of maximalist demands that encompass the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.

Zelensky stated talks regarding the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to evade negotiations.

He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday occurred before reports that the United States was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target inside Russia.

Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.

Timothy Sanchez
Timothy Sanchez

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