Preparations for Putin-Trump Talks Postponed Shortly After Hungarian Capital Talks Announced
Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.
Recently the US president stated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital within two weeks to discuss the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration stated the two had had a "constructive" call and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".
The White House withheld any more details on why the talks had been postponed.
Previous Developments
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders claiming the president had pressured him to give up significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on Monday Trump endorsed a truce plan supported by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the hostilities on the current front line.
"Freeze the lines in its current state," he said.
Moscow has frequently resisted against freezing the current line of contact.
The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, implying that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "root causes" of the conflict needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of comprehensive conditions that involve the acceptance of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.
Zelensky said talks regarding the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.
He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently occurred before rumors that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit deep into Russia.
Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.