Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in late summer in the northern US state and the American leader had stated further discussions would occur in Budapest

There are "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has stated.

Recently Trump said he and the Russian president would hold talks in Budapest soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".

The administration withheld further information on why the talks had been delayed.

Background Context

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a day before meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.

Some reports suggested his talks with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with sources indicating Trump had urged him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on this week the American president supported a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the current front line.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he said.

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

Moscow was solely focused on "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the war required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a series of extensive requirements that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky stated talks regarding the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.

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

Strategic Factors

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday occurred before speculation that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he added.

Suzanne Ramos
Suzanne Ramos

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