Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Shortly Following Budapest Negotiations Proposed
There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.
This past week Trump indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.
A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "required".
The administration declined to provide any more details on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with those familiar indicating Trump had pushed him to give up large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
Yet, on Monday Trump embraced a truce plan supported by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the conflict on the present positions.
"Leave it as is where it stands," he stated.
Russia has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.
The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat said, using Moscow's terminology for a series of extensive requirements that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
Zelensky stated talks regarding the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.
He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
The Russian president's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of reports that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike deep into Russia.
Zelensky said it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The talk about the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he commented.