Plans for Trump-Putin Summit Delayed Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in August in the northern US state and the US president had indicated further talks would take place in Budapest

There are "no arrangements" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

Recently the US president said he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital within two weeks to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".

The White House did not share any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Various sources indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar indicating Trump had urged him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Russia.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump supported a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the hostilities on the existing battle lines.

"Leave it as is in its current state," he remarked.

Moscow has frequently resisted against freezing the existing front lines.

Moscow was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, implying that freezing the front line would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "underlying reasons" of the war demanded attention, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a range of maximalist demands that encompass the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its Western allies.

Zelensky stated discussions about the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He additionally stated the sole subject that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the United States was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "significant input" in negotiations", he remarked.

Jacqueline Harvey
Jacqueline Harvey

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