Arrangements for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Days After Budapest Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump previously convened in late summer in the northern US state and the American leader had said further discussions would take place in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.

This past week the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was not "needed".

The White House declined to provide any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar claiming the president had pushed him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Russia.

However, on Monday Trump supported a peace initiative endorsed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the hostilities on the present positions.

"Leave it as is the way it is," he said.

Moscow has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.

Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the conflict needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that encompass the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president stated talks regarding the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.

He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he added.

Dawn Murphy
Dawn Murphy

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering consumer electronics and emerging technologies, passionate about simplifying complex innovations.