🔗 Share this article Plans for Trump-Putin Summit Postponed Shortly Following Budapest Talks Announced Putin and Trump previously convened in August in Alaska and the American leader had indicated additional discussions would occur in Budapest There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced. This past week the US president said he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the Ukraine conflict. A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "required". The administration withheld additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been delayed. Background Context Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office. Some reports indicated his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with insiders claiming the president had pushed him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Moscow. Yet, on this week the American president supported a ceasefire proposal supported by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the war on the existing battle lines. "Leave it as is the way it is," he said. Russia has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines. The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Lavrov said on Tuesday, implying that halting hostilities would only amount to a short-term truce. Diplomatic Positions The "underlying reasons" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that involve the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners. The Ukrainian president said talks regarding the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to avoid diplomacy. He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine. Strategic Factors Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently occurred before speculation that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could potentially strike inside Russia. Zelensky stated it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the missiles had turned out to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he added.