Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Talks Announced
Currently exist "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.
This past week the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to examine the ongoing hostilities.
A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for recently - but the White House stated the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".
The White House withheld additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.
Earlier Events
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Certain accounts suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar indicating Trump had urged him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week the American president supported a truce plan backed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the war on the present positions.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he stated.
Moscow has consistently objected against pausing the existing front lines.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on Tuesday, implying that pausing conflict would only amount to a brief pause.
Political Perspectives
The "fundamental issues" of the war required resolution, Lavrov said, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of extensive requirements that involve the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
Zelensky stated conversations concerning the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.
He further commented the only topic that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently preceded rumors that the United States was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target inside Russia.
Zelensky said it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he commented.