🔗 Share this article Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Delayed Days Following Hungarian Capital Talks Proposed Putin and Trump previously convened in late summer in Alaska and the US president had said further talks would occur in the Hungarian capital Currently exist "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated. Last Thursday the US president stated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest in the coming fortnight to examine the Ukraine conflict. A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "productive" call and that a meeting was not "needed". The White House did not share further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold. Background Context The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House. Various sources indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar suggesting the president had urged him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia. Nevertheless, on Monday Trump endorsed a truce plan endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the current front line. "Let it be cut where it stands," he said. Russia has frequently resisted against halting the current line of contact. The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire. Negotiating Stances The "underlying reasons" of the conflict needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of extensive requirements that include the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies. The Ukrainian president stated discussions about the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy. He additionally stated 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 unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday occurred before rumors that the US was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike deep into Russia. Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The conversation concerning the missiles had emerged as a "strong investment" in negotiations", he added.