Arrangements for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Days Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Suggested
There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced.
This past week Trump said he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the ongoing hostilities.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".
The administration withheld additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.
Background Context
Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Some reports claimed his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with those familiar indicating the president had urged him to relinquish large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on Monday Trump endorsed a truce plan supported by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the hostilities on the present positions.
"Let it be cut in its current state," he remarked.
Russia has consistently objected against freezing the existing front lines.
The Russian government was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat stated, using Moscow's terminology for a series of maximalist demands that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners.
The Ukrainian president commented discussions about the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.
He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of speculation that the United States was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he remarked.