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Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

Last Thursday the US president stated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "required".

The White House withheld additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Background Context

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the White House.

Some reports indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders claiming Trump had pushed him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.

However, on Monday the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to pause the hostilities on the current front line.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he said.

Moscow has frequently resisted against freezing the current line of contact.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov said on this week, indicating that freezing the front line would only amount to a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities demanded attention, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of comprehensive conditions that encompass the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

Zelensky commented conversations concerning the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday preceded rumors that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he commented.