🔗 Share this article

There are "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has stated.

This past week Trump indicated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to address the ongoing hostilities.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "required".

The White House withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.

Earlier Events

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports suggested his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with sources claiming Trump had pressured him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on Monday Trump embraced a ceasefire proposal supported by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the war on the current front line.

"Freeze the lines in its current state," he remarked.

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the present battle positions.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, implying that pausing conflict would merely represent a brief pause.

Political Perspectives

The "underlying reasons" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of extensive requirements that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its Western allies.

The Ukrainian president stated talks regarding the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

Putin's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he commented.