Plans for Putin-Trump Talks Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump previously convened in August in Alaska and the US president had indicated further talks would take place in the Hungarian capital

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

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest soon to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration said the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "needed".

The administration did not share additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Previous Developments

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with insiders suggesting the president had pressured him to relinquish extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Moscow.

Yet, on Monday Trump endorsed a truce plan backed by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the current front line.

"Freeze the lines the way it is," he remarked.

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the present battle positions.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a set of maximalist demands that include the acceptance of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners.

Zelensky commented discussions about the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.

He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday preceded reports that the US was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he remarked.

Marissa Miller
Marissa Miller

A passionate tech journalist and gamer with over a decade of experience covering emerging trends and innovations.