🔗 Share this article

Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has stated.

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House said the two had had a "productive" call and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".

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

Earlier Events

Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.

Some reports claimed his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders suggesting Trump had urged him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.

Yet, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal supported by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.

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

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against halting the existing front lines.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov commented on this week, implying that freezing the front line would merely represent a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of extensive requirements that encompass the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president said conversations concerning the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

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

Military Considerations

The Russian president's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded reports that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target Russian territory.

Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The talk about the missiles had emerged as a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he commented.