Plans for Putin-Trump Meeting Postponed Shortly After Budapest Talks Proposed

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin last met in August in Alaska and the American leader had indicated further discussions would occur in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has stated.

Last Thursday the US president indicated he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest in the coming fortnight to address the Ukraine conflict.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".

The administration did not share further information on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.

Previous Developments

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with those familiar claiming the president had urged him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Moscow.

However, on Monday the American president embraced a peace initiative supported by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the conflict on the present positions.

"Let it be cut in its current state," he stated.

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

Moscow was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a series of extensive requirements that include the acknowledgment of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president said conversations concerning the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader recently occurred before rumors that the US was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

Zelensky said it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he added.

Benjamin Jennings
Benjamin Jennings

Lena is a tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on society.