Plans for Trump-Putin Talks Shelved Shortly After Budapest Talks Suggested
There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced.
Recently the US president said he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest in the coming fortnight to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a meeting was not "needed".
The administration declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders suggesting the president had pushed him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.
However, on this week Trump endorsed a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the hostilities on the existing battle lines.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he said.
Moscow has frequently resisted against freezing the current line of contact.
The Russian government was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, implying that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of maximalist demands that encompass the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president stated discussions about the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
Putin's unscheduled call with Trump recently came ahead of rumors that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the missiles had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he remarked.