Plans for Putin-Trump Talks Shelved Days After Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested
There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has declared.
Last Thursday the US president indicated he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to discuss the war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House said the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a meeting was not "necessary".
The administration declined to provide further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Previous Developments
The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.
Some reports suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with insiders suggesting Trump had pressured him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.
Yet, on this week Trump endorsed a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the present positions.
"Freeze the lines in its current state," he stated.
Russia has consistently objected against pausing the existing front lines.
The Russian government was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, implying that freezing the front line would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Diplomatic Positions
The "fundamental issues" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, 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 demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.
Zelensky said talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.
He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Strategic Factors
Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the United States was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader stated it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The talk about the missiles had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he added.