Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Shortly After Budapest Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in August in Alaska and the American leader had indicated additional discussions would occur in the Hungarian capital

There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has announced.

This past week Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital soon to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "required".

The White House did not share additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Previous Developments

The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts claimed his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming Trump had pushed him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.

Yet, on Monday the American president supported a truce plan endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.

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

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the existing front lines.

The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, indicating that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "underlying reasons" of the conflict needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that include the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its Western allies.

Zelensky commented talks regarding the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently came ahead of speculation that the US was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike Russian territory.

Zelensky asserted it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he remarked.

Dustin Powell
Dustin Powell

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