Preparations for Putin-Trump Summit Shelved Days After Budapest Talks Announced

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump previously convened in August in the northern US state and the US president had indicated further discussions would take place in the Hungarian capital

There are "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

Last Thursday the US president indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest soon to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a face-to-face session was no longer "needed".

The administration declined to provide any more details on why the talks had been delayed.

Previous Developments

Trump 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 claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources indicating the president had pushed him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.

Yet, on Monday the American president endorsed a truce plan backed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the hostilities on the present positions.

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

Moscow has frequently resisted against halting the current line of contact.

The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the conflict demanded attention, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a set of comprehensive conditions that encompass the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.

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

He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the US was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target Russian territory.

Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he commented.

Lori Russell
Lori Russell

Kaelen is a seasoned esports analyst and gaming enthusiast, known for crafting detailed guides that help players achieve victory.