🔗 Share this article

Currently exist "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has declared.

Last Thursday Trump said he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to examine the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "required".

The administration declined to provide further information on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Background Context

Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Various sources indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with sources claiming Trump had urged him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.

However, on Monday the American president embraced a truce plan backed by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the hostilities on the current front line.

"Leave it as is in its current state," he said.

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

Moscow was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat said, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of extensive requirements that involve the acceptance of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

He further commented the sole subject that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday came ahead of speculation that the US was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike inside Russia.

Zelensky stated it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The talk about the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he added.