Preparations for Trump-Putin Talks Delayed Days Following Budapest Talks Announced

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in late summer in the northern US state and the American leader had indicated further discussions would take place in the Hungarian capital

There are "no plans" for US President President Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

Recently Trump indicated he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "required".

The White House did not share any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Previous Developments

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

Certain accounts claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders suggesting Trump had urged him to cede extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines.

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

Moscow has consistently objected against freezing the existing front lines.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, implying that halting hostilities would simply constitute a brief pause.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the conflict required resolution, the Russian diplomat stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of maximalist demands that involve the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president stated conversations concerning the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the only topic that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the missiles had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.

Teresa Sanchez
Teresa Sanchez

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