Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Postponed Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Announced

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump previously convened in late summer in the northern US state and the US president had said further discussions would occur in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

Recently the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".

The White House withheld further information on why the talks had been put on hold.

Background Context

Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders suggesting Trump had pushed him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.

Yet, on this week Trump embraced a truce plan backed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the war on the current front line.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he remarked.

Russia has frequently resisted against pausing the present battle positions.

Moscow was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov said on Tuesday, indicating that halting hostilities would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of maximalist demands that include the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

Zelensky stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the sole subject that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Military Considerations

Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.

Jason Rodriguez
Jason Rodriguez

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