Plans for Trump-Putin Summit Shelved Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Announced
Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has announced.
This past week the US president stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital within two weeks to discuss the ongoing hostilities.
A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".
The White House withheld additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.
Background Context
Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with sources suggesting the president had pressured him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Moscow.
However, on Monday Trump supported a truce plan supported by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the hostilities on the current front line.
"Freeze the lines in its current state," he remarked.
Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the existing front lines.
Moscow was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on Tuesday, indicating that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.
Diplomatic Positions
The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities required resolution, Lavrov said, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of maximalist demands that encompass the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.
The Ukrainian president commented discussions about the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.
He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.
Weapons Discussions
The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday occurred before speculation that the United States was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike Russian territory.
Zelensky said it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in international relations", he remarked.