🔗 Share this article Preparations for Trump-Putin Summit Delayed Days After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed Trump and Putin previously convened in late summer in Alaska and the US president had stated additional talks would occur in Budapest There are "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced. This past week the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the ongoing hostilities. A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "productive" call and that a meeting was not "required". The White House withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been delayed. Background Context 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. Some reports claimed his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with insiders indicating Trump had pressured him to relinquish extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Russia. Yet, on Monday the American president endorsed a truce plan backed by Kyiv and EU officials to halt the conflict on the current front line. "Let it be cut where it stands," he remarked. Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the present battle positions. Moscow was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on this week, implying that freezing the front line would merely represent a brief pause. Political Perspectives The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a set of extensive requirements that involve the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters. Zelensky said talks regarding the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy. He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military. Weapons Discussions The Russian president's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of reports that the US was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia. Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the missiles had proven to be a "significant input" in negotiations", he commented.