Plans for Putin-Trump Summit Postponed Days Following Budapest Talks Suggested

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump previously convened in August in the northern US state and the American leader had stated further discussions would take place in the Hungarian capital

There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has declared.

Recently the US president said he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the war in Ukraine.

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

The White House withheld any more details on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.

Previous Developments

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports claimed his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with sources claiming Trump had pressured him to cede significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Moscow.

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

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

Moscow has frequently resisted against pausing the existing front lines.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Lavrov stated on this week, suggesting that pausing conflict would only amount to a brief pause.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the war required resolution, Lavrov said, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of comprehensive conditions that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky commented conversations concerning the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

He further commented the only topic that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with the US leader last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he remarked.

Anna Welch
Anna Welch

Mikael Voss is a passionate gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering esports and indie game development.