🔗 Share this article Preparations for Trump-Putin Summit Delayed Days After Hungarian Capital Talks Suggested Putin and Trump last met in late summer in Alaska and the American leader had indicated additional talks would occur in the Hungarian capital Currently exist "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared. This past week the US president stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital within two weeks to address the war in Ukraine. A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a meeting was not "required". The administration withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been postponed. Previous Developments Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House. Some reports suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders claiming the president had pushed him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow. However, on this week the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the present positions. "Freeze the lines in its current state," he stated. Moscow has consistently objected against freezing the existing front lines. The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Lavrov stated on this week, indicating that halting hostilities would simply constitute a brief pause. Negotiating Stances The "fundamental issues" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov said, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its Western allies. Zelensky said conversations concerning the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations. He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine. Weapons Discussions Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader recently came ahead of speculation that the United States was preparing to send distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target Russian territory. The Ukrainian leader said it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.