Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Days After Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin last met in August in the northern US state and the American leader had said further talks would take place in Budapest

Currently exist "no arrangements" for US President President Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced.

Recently Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to examine the Ukraine conflict.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" call and that a meeting was no longer "needed".

The White House withheld any more details on why the talks had been delayed.

Previous Developments

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit via telephone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.

Some reports suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar claiming Trump had urged him to relinquish significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.

Yet, on Monday Trump endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he stated.

Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the current line of contact.

Moscow was only interested in "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would simply constitute a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky commented discussions about the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the United States was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target Russian territory.

Zelensky said it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he commented.

Karen Gray
Karen Gray

A seasoned tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on industries worldwide.

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