Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Days Following Budapest Negotiations Suggested
Currently exist "no arrangements" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.
Recently the US president stated he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest soon to examine the Ukraine conflict.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was not "needed".
The administration declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.
Background Context
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with Putin, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with insiders claiming the president had urged him to relinquish extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on Monday the American president endorsed a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and EU officials to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he remarked.
Moscow has consistently objected against freezing the present battle positions.
Moscow was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.
Negotiating Stances
The "underlying reasons" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of comprehensive conditions that encompass the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president said discussions about the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.
He also said the sole subject that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.
Weapons Discussions
The Russian president's unscheduled call with the US leader recently came ahead of reports that the United States was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The talk about the missiles had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he remarked.