Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Days Following Budapest Talks Proposed
There are "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.
Last Thursday the US president said he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest in the coming fortnight to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister 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 "necessary".
The White House declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been delayed.
Previous Developments
The US president had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar suggesting the president had pressured him to relinquish large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
However, on Monday Trump supported a peace initiative supported by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the war on the present positions.
"Let it be cut where it stands," he stated.
Russia has frequently resisted against halting the present battle positions.
The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Lavrov commented on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Moscow's terminology for a set of extensive requirements that include the recognition of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its European partners.
The Ukrainian president said discussions about the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday occurred before reports that the United States was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit Russian territory.
Zelensky stated it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he commented.