Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Postponed Days Following Budapest Talks Announced

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump last met in late summer in the northern US state and the American leader had said further discussions would occur in Budapest

Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has stated.

Last Thursday Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest in the coming fortnight to discuss the ongoing hostilities.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was not "necessary".

The administration withheld additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with insiders suggesting Trump had pressured him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Moscow.

Yet, on this week Trump endorsed a peace initiative supported by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the existing battle lines.

"Freeze the lines in its current state," he stated.

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

The Russian government was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would merely represent a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "underlying reasons" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat said, using Moscow's terminology for a series of maximalist demands that encompass the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its Western allies.

The Ukrainian president commented talks regarding the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to evade negotiations.

He further commented the sole subject that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently preceded rumors that the United States was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit inside Russia.

Zelensky said it was the missile discussion that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The talk about the missiles had emerged as a "strong investment" in negotiations", he remarked.

Marc Castillo
Marc Castillo

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