Preparations for Putin-Trump Summit Postponed Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed
There are "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has stated.
This past week the US president said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the Ukraine conflict.
A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was not "needed".
The administration declined to provide any more details on why the talks had been postponed.
Previous Developments
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with insiders indicating the president had urged him to give up large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.
Yet, on this week the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the hostilities on the present positions.
"Leave it as is the way it is," he said.
Moscow has consistently objected against pausing the present battle positions.
The Russian government was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, indicating that halting hostilities would only amount to a short-term truce.
Diplomatic Positions
The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities required resolution, the Russian diplomat said, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
Zelensky stated talks regarding the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.
He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
Strategic Factors
Putin's unplanned conversation with the US leader recently preceded reports that the United States was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike inside Russia.
The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in negotiations", he added.