🔗 Share this article Arrangements for Putin-Trump Talks Delayed Shortly Following Budapest Talks Announced Trump and Putin previously convened in late summer in Alaska and the American leader had stated additional discussions would take place in the Hungarian capital Currently exist "no plans" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced. Recently Trump said he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest soon to address the ongoing hostilities. A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "required". The administration declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been put on hold. Background Context Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House. Various sources claimed his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming the president had pushed him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia. Yet, on this week the American president endorsed a truce plan backed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines. "Leave it as is in its current state," he stated. Russia has repeatedly pushed back against pausing the present battle positions. Moscow was only interested in "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, implying that freezing the front line would merely represent a brief pause. Political Perspectives The "fundamental issues" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of maximalist demands that include the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners. Zelensky stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to evade negotiations. He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine. Weapons Discussions Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike inside Russia. The Ukrainian leader stated it was the missile discussion that had pressured the Kremlin to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "significant input" in diplomacy", he remarked.