🔗 Share this article

Currently exist "no arrangements" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for recently - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".

The White House did not share further information on why the talks had been postponed.

Background Context

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.

Various sources indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with those familiar indicating the president had pushed him to cede significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal supported by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the present positions.

"Leave it as is where it stands," he remarked.

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the current line of contact.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a brief pause.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of comprehensive conditions that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky stated discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.

He further commented the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently preceded rumors that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

Zelensky stated it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he commented.