🔗 Share this article

There are "no arrangements" for American leader President Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.

Recently the US president indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "needed".

The administration declined to provide any more details on why the talks had been postponed.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming Trump had pushed him to give up significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.

However, on Monday the American president supported a ceasefire proposal supported by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the war on the existing battle lines.

"Freeze the lines where it stands," he stated.

Russia has consistently objected against freezing the current line of contact.

Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would simply constitute a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.

Zelensky said talks regarding the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently preceded speculation that the US was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The talk about the missiles had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he remarked.