Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Postponed Days Following Budapest Talks Announced

There are "no preparations" for US President President Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.

Recently Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to address the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a meeting was not "necessary".

The administration declined to provide further information on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources suggesting Trump had pushed him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.

However, on Monday the American president supported a truce plan supported by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the war on the present positions.

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

Russia has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, suggesting that pausing conflict would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the conflict required resolution, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of comprehensive conditions that involve the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president said conversations concerning the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently came ahead of reports that the US was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the missile discussion that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The talk about the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in negotiations", he commented.