Plans for Putin-Trump Meeting Delayed Days After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Announced

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump previously convened in late summer in the northern US state and the US president had stated further talks would take place in Budapest

Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has stated.

Last Thursday Trump said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the ongoing hostilities.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "constructive" call and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".

The White House declined to provide any more details on why the talks had been postponed.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with sources indicating Trump had pushed him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump endorsed a truce plan endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the war on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he stated.

Russia has consistently objected against freezing the existing front lines.

Moscow was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, suggesting that halting hostilities would only amount to a brief pause.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the hostilities demanded attention, Lavrov emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acceptance of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its Western allies.

The Ukrainian president said talks regarding the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's unscheduled call with Trump recently came ahead of reports that the US was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "significant input" in diplomacy", he commented.

Michael Watkins
Michael Watkins

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