Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Postponed Days After Budapest Negotiations Announced

Currently exist "no arrangements" for American leader President Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has announced.

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "constructive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".

The administration did not share further information on why the talks had been postponed.

Previous Developments

The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with sources claiming the president had pressured him to relinquish significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Moscow.

Yet, on this week the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal supported by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the hostilities on the present positions.

"Freeze the lines the way it is," he remarked.

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against halting the current line of contact.

The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov said on this week, implying that freezing the front line would merely represent a short-term truce.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of extensive requirements that encompass the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its Western allies.

Zelensky commented conversations concerning the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently preceded speculation that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target inside Russia.

Zelensky said it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the missiles had turned out to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he added.