🔗 Share this article Preparations for Putin-Trump Meeting Shelved Shortly After Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed Trump and Putin last met in August in Alaska and the American leader had indicated further talks would occur in Budapest There are "no plans" for US President President Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has declared. This past week Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest in the coming fortnight to examine the war in Ukraine. A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was no longer "necessary". The White House did not share further information on why the talks had been delayed. Earlier Events Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House. Certain accounts indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders claiming the president had urged him to cede significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow. Nevertheless, on this week Trump embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the war on the existing battle lines. "Leave it as is the way it is," he stated. Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the existing front lines. Moscow was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, indicating that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause. Diplomatic Positions The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Russian diplomatic language for a series of maximalist demands that encompass the recognition of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners. The Ukrainian president said conversations concerning the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations. He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military. Strategic Factors Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday preceded rumors that the US was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia. The Ukrainian leader stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The talk about the missiles had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he remarked.