Arrangements for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested
There are "no arrangements" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has declared.
Recently Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the Ukraine conflict.
A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "constructive" call and that a meeting was no longer "required".
The White House declined to provide any more details on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.
Previous Developments
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources indicating the president had urged him to relinquish significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.
However, on Monday Trump embraced a peace initiative supported by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the conflict on the present positions.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he said.
Moscow has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.
Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the war demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of extensive requirements that encompass the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its European partners.
Zelensky commented talks regarding the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.
He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader said it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "significant input" in negotiations", he remarked.