Preparations for Putin-Trump Talks Postponed Days Following Budapest Negotiations Announced
Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has announced.
This past week Trump stated he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest soon to examine the Ukraine conflict.
A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".
The administration declined to provide further information on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.
Earlier Events
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources claimed his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources suggesting the president had pressured him to cede extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.
However, on this week the American president supported a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the hostilities on the existing battle lines.
"Freeze the lines where it stands," he said.
Russia has consistently objected against halting the current line of contact.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, implying that halting hostilities would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Political Perspectives
The "root causes" of the conflict needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president stated discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
Military Considerations
The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump recently occurred before reports that the United States was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader stated it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had emerged as a "strong investment" in negotiations", he added.