Arrangements for Putin-Trump Talks Shelved Shortly After Budapest Talks Proposed
There are "no preparations" for US President President Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has declared.
This past week Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital soon to discuss the Ukraine conflict.
A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a meeting was no longer "needed".
The White House declined to provide additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Certain accounts indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar indicating the president had pressured him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.
Nevertheless, on this week Trump embraced a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the current front line.
"Freeze the lines the way it is," he said.
Russia has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.
The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov said on this week, implying that halting hostilities would only amount to a short-term truce.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the war required resolution, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president commented discussions about the front line 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 supply of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the United States was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit deep into Russia.
The Ukrainian leader stated it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he added.