Plans for Trump-Putin Meeting Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed

There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has stated.

Recently Trump said he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to examine the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration said the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".

The White House declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been put on hold.

Background Context

Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders claiming Trump had pressured him to cede significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Moscow.

Yet, on Monday the American president embraced a truce plan supported by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the hostilities on the current front line.

"Leave it as is where it stands," he stated.

Moscow has consistently objected against freezing the current line of contact.

The Russian government was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov said on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the war required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a range of maximalist demands that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a non-starter for Ukraine and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president stated discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded reports that the US was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the missile discussion that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he commented.