🔗 Share this article

Currently exist "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

This past week Trump stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Budapest soon to examine the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House said the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a meeting was not "required".

The administration declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been delayed.

Previous Developments

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Various sources indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with insiders suggesting Trump had urged him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Russia.

Yet, on this week the American president endorsed a truce plan endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut in its current state," he remarked.

Moscow has frequently resisted against halting the existing front lines.

The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a brief pause.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that involve the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president stated conversations concerning the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday preceded speculation that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

Zelensky said it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the missiles had emerged as a "significant input" in negotiations", he commented.