Preparations for Trump-Putin Summit Postponed Shortly After Budapest Talks Suggested
Currently exist "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has announced.
Recently Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital soon to address the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a meeting was not "required".
The administration withheld any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar suggesting Trump had urged him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.
Nevertheless, on this week Trump supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the war on the current front line.
"Leave it as is where it stands," he said.
Russia has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the current line of contact.
Moscow was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a series of maximalist demands that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its European partners.
Zelensky stated discussions about the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target inside Russia.
Zelensky asserted it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the missiles had emerged as a "strong investment" in negotiations", he remarked.