🔗 Share this article

Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced.

Recently Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".

The administration withheld any more details on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Background Context

Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders indicating Trump had pushed him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.

Yet, on Monday the American president endorsed a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Leave it as is the way it is," he remarked.

Russia has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.

Moscow was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on this week, implying that freezing the front line would merely represent a brief pause.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a range of comprehensive conditions that involve the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its Western allies.

The Ukrainian president stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations.

He also said the sole subject that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday preceded rumors that the United States was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in negotiations", he added.