🔗 Share this article Arrangements for Trump-Putin Talks Shelved Shortly After Budapest Talks Suggested Putin and Trump previously convened in late summer in Alaska and the American leader had stated further talks would occur in Budapest Currently exist "no arrangements" for US President President Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has declared. Recently Trump said he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest soon to discuss the ongoing hostilities. A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "needed". The White House did not share further information on the reason the negotiations had been postponed. Earlier Events The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House. Some reports indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar claiming the president had pressured him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow. However, on this week Trump endorsed a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the hostilities on the current front line. "Let it be cut in its current state," he said. Russia has repeatedly pushed back against halting the present battle positions. Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that pausing conflict would merely represent a brief pause. Negotiating Stances The "root causes" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Moscow's terminology for a set of comprehensive conditions that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its European partners. Zelensky commented talks regarding the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy. He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military. Strategic Factors Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently came ahead of speculation that the United States was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia. The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had turned out to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he added.