Plans for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed
There are "no plans" for American leader President Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced.
Last Thursday the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest within two weeks to address the war in Ukraine.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".
The White House withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.
Background Context
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Certain accounts claimed his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources indicating Trump had pushed him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
Nevertheless, on Monday Trump endorsed a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the war on the current front line.
"Leave it as is in its current state," he stated.
Russia has consistently objected against freezing the present battle positions.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the hostilities demanded attention, the Russian diplomat stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of comprehensive conditions that involve the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president stated conversations concerning the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday preceded rumors that the United States was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader said it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had turned out to be a "significant input" in international relations", he added.