Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Days After Budapest Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin last met in August in Alaska and the American leader had stated further talks would take place in the Hungarian capital

There are "no plans" for US President President Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has stated.

This past week Trump stated he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital soon to address the Ukraine conflict.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration stated the two had had a "constructive" call and that a face-to-face session was no longer "required".

The White House declined to provide further information on why the talks had been postponed.

Earlier Events

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with the Russian leader, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with those familiar suggesting Trump had pushed him to cede extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump supported a truce plan endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut where it stands," he stated.

Russia has consistently objected against freezing the existing front lines.

The Russian government was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a series of maximalist demands that include the acceptance of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president said talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader recently came ahead of speculation that the US was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in negotiations", he commented.

Melinda Sawyer
Melinda Sawyer

A tech journalist with a passion for exploring emerging technologies and their impact on everyday life.