Arrangements for Trump-Putin Talks Postponed Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in August in the northern US state and the US president had indicated further talks would occur in Budapest

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

Recently the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital soon to address the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House said the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "required".

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

Previous Developments

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar suggesting Trump had pressured him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia.

Yet, on this week Trump endorsed a peace initiative supported by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the conflict on the current front line.

"Let it be cut where it stands," he remarked.

Moscow has frequently resisted against pausing the existing front lines.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister stated on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would simply constitute a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat said, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that include the acceptance of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president said conversations concerning the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit deep into Russia.

Zelensky asserted it was the weapons consideration that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he added.

Sydney Trujillo
Sydney Trujillo

A renewable energy expert with over a decade of experience in solar and wind power systems, passionate about eco-friendly innovations.