Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed
There are "no arrangements" for US President President Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has announced.
Recently Trump indicated he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the Ukraine conflict.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration said the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "required".
The administration did not share further information on why the talks had been postponed.
Earlier Events
The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar suggesting the president had pushed him to relinquish significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week Trump endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the war on the existing battle lines.
"Let it be cut where it stands," he said.
Russia has frequently resisted against pausing the current line of contact.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.
Political Perspectives
The "root causes" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of comprehensive conditions that encompass the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.
Zelensky said discussions about the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of reports that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had turned out to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he remarked.