Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin last met in late summer in Alaska and the American leader had said further discussions would occur in the Hungarian capital

There are "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has announced.

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to examine the ongoing hostilities.

A initial discussion between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a meeting was not "required".

The White House did not share any more details on why the talks had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming the president had urged him to relinquish large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Moscow.

However, on this week the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he remarked.

Russia has consistently objected against halting the current line of contact.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, suggesting that halting hostilities would only amount to a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "fundamental issues" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of comprehensive conditions that include the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.

Zelensky said discussions about the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to avoid diplomacy.

He further commented the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's unscheduled call with Trump recently preceded speculation that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he added.

Melissa Barnes
Melissa Barnes

A gaming industry consultant with over 15 years of experience in slot machine technology and casino operations across Europe.