Plans for Trump-Putin Meeting Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump last met in late summer in the northern US state and the American leader had said additional discussions would take place in Budapest

There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has declared.

Recently Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital soon to examine the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "constructive" call and that a meeting was not "needed".

The administration withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Previous Developments

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Some reports indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar indicating the president had urged him to cede significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Moscow.

However, on Monday Trump embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the conflict on the present positions.

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

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

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov said on this week, suggesting that halting hostilities would only amount to a brief pause.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president commented conversations concerning the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday preceded rumors that the United States was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike Russian territory.

Zelensky said it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he added.

Tracy Phillips
Tracy Phillips

Elena is a certified gemologist with over 15 years of experience in diamond trading and investment analysis, specializing in market forecasting.