Arrangements for Trump-Putin Summit Shelved Days After Budapest Negotiations Suggested
Currently exist "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.
This past week the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".
The administration declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.
Earlier Events
The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with sources claiming Trump had pushed him to give up large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.
Nevertheless, on this week Trump endorsed a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and EU officials to pause the hostilities on the existing battle lines.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he remarked.
Moscow has consistently objected against freezing the existing front lines.
The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.
Political Perspectives
The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of extensive requirements that include the acceptance of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its EU supporters.
Zelensky said conversations concerning the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
Strategic Factors
The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday occurred before reports that the United States was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike inside Russia.
Zelensky stated it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had turned out to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he remarked.