Arrangements for Trump-Putin Talks Delayed Days After Budapest Negotiations Proposed
There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.
This past week Trump stated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest in the coming fortnight to discuss the ongoing hostilities.
A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House stated the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".
The White House withheld additional specifics on why the talks had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Certain accounts suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with insiders suggesting Trump had pressured him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
Yet, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he remarked.
Moscow has consistently objected against freezing the present battle positions.
The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov stated on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of maximalist demands that encompass the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
Zelensky commented conversations concerning the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday preceded rumors that the US was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he remarked.