Arrangements for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Talks Announced

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in August in Alaska and the US president had said additional talks would occur in Budapest

There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has stated.

Recently Trump indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to address the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".

The administration withheld additional specifics on why the talks had been delayed.

Earlier Events

The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports claimed his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources indicating Trump had urged him to relinquish significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on this week the American president supported a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the conflict on the current front line.

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

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

The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the conflict demanded attention, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a set of comprehensive conditions that include the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners.

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

He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded rumors that the US was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in negotiations", he remarked.

Craig Richardson
Craig Richardson

A tech journalist and software developer with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and digital trends.