🔗 Share this article

There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

Recently the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital within two weeks to address the war in Ukraine.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "constructive" call and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".

The White House did not share any more details on why the talks had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with insiders suggesting Trump had pushed him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on Monday Trump endorsed a peace initiative endorsed by Kyiv and EU officials to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.

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

Russia has consistently objected against halting the current line of contact.

Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat said, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president commented discussions about the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently occurred before reports that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in negotiations", he remarked.