Preparations for Putin-Trump Summit Delayed Days After Hungarian Capital Talks Announced
Currently exist "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has declared.
Last Thursday the US president said he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to address the ongoing hostilities.
A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a meeting was not "required".
The White House did not share any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Earlier Events
The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.
Various sources indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders suggesting the president had pressured him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week the American president embraced a truce plan backed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the war on the current front line.
"Freeze the lines where it stands," he remarked.
Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the present battle positions.
Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.
Negotiating Stances
The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of maximalist demands that include the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its Western allies.
The Ukrainian president said discussions about the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.
He further commented the only topic that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the United States was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.
Zelensky stated it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he commented.