Preparations for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Days After Budapest Negotiations Announced

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin last met in August in Alaska and the American leader had stated further discussions would occur in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no preparations" for US President President Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has stated.

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital soon to examine the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "required".

The administration did not share any more details on why the talks 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 Oval Office.

Certain accounts indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with sources suggesting the president had pushed him to give up large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on Monday Trump endorsed a peace initiative supported by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the war on the present positions.

"Freeze the lines the way it is," he stated.

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

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the war demanded attention, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of extensive requirements that involve the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.

Zelensky said conversations concerning the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader recently occurred before rumors that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the missiles had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he remarked.

Debbie Jones
Debbie Jones

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