Arrangements for Putin-Trump Talks Delayed Days Following Budapest Negotiations Announced

Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin previously convened in late summer in Alaska and the US president had stated further discussions would occur in Budapest

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

Last Thursday Trump said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was no longer "needed".

The White House withheld any more details on why the talks had been delayed.

Earlier Events

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with sources suggesting Trump had pushed him to relinquish large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on Monday the American president embraced a truce plan endorsed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the war on the current front line.

"Leave it as is in its current state," he said.

Moscow has consistently objected against freezing the current line of contact.

Moscow was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, indicating that pausing conflict would merely represent a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its Western allies.

Zelensky commented conversations concerning the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

The Russian president's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday came ahead of reports that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in international relations", he added.

Kristin Lopez
Kristin Lopez

A historian and writer passionate about uncovering the hidden stories of ancient dynasties and their influence on modern society.