Plans for Trump-Putin Meeting Delayed Days After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Suggested

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in late summer in the northern US state and the American leader had stated further discussions would occur in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no plans" for US President President Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has announced.

Last Thursday Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest soon to address the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration said the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".

The administration withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.

Previous Developments

Trump had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar claiming Trump had pressured him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.

However, on this week Trump supported a truce plan endorsed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the hostilities on the existing battle lines.

"Leave it as is the way it is," he said.

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against halting the current line of contact.

Moscow was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, indicating that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the hostilities required resolution, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of maximalist demands that encompass the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.

The Ukrainian president said discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday came ahead of reports that the US was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the missile discussion that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in negotiations", he remarked.

Chelsea Jimenez
Chelsea Jimenez

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