Plans for Trump-Putin Talks Postponed Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed

Currently exist "no plans" for American leader President Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.

This past week the US president stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Budapest in the coming fortnight to examine the war in Ukraine.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".

The White House withheld additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Various sources suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar indicating the president had pushed him to give up significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.

Yet, on this week Trump supported a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the hostilities on the current front line.

"Freeze the lines the way it is," he said.

Russia has consistently objected against freezing the current line of contact.

The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, indicating that freezing the front line would simply constitute a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president commented conversations concerning the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Military Considerations

Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently preceded speculation that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The talk about the missiles had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he commented.