🔗 Share this article

Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

Last Thursday the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".

The administration did not share further information on why the talks had been delayed.

Background Context

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting 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 suggesting the president had pushed him to relinquish significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Moscow.

Yet, on this week Trump embraced a truce plan endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the war on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut where it stands," he remarked.

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the present battle positions.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that pausing conflict would only amount to a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the conflict needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Russian diplomatic language for a series of extensive requirements that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its European partners.

Zelensky stated discussions about the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's unscheduled call with the US leader recently came ahead of reports that the US was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit Russian territory.

Zelensky said it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he remarked.