Preparations for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed

There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.

Last Thursday the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a meeting was not "required".

The White House did not share further information on why the talks had been delayed.

Previous Developments

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with sources claiming Trump had pushed him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the hostilities on the existing battle lines.

"Freeze the lines in its current state," he remarked.

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

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov said on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a brief pause.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of maximalist demands that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president stated conversations concerning the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.

He also said the sole subject that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.