Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Delayed Shortly Following Hungarian Capital Negotiations Proposed

Trump and Putin
Putin and Trump last met in August in Alaska and the American leader had indicated further talks would take place in the Hungarian capital

Currently exist "no plans" for American leader President Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has stated.

Recently the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the ongoing hostilities.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a meeting was no longer "required".

The White House declined to provide further information on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Previous Developments

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar suggesting Trump had pushed him to cede significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.

Yet, on this week Trump supported a truce plan supported by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the hostilities on the present positions.

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

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against halting the existing front lines.

The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would merely represent a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a series of extensive requirements that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president said talks regarding the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

Putin's unplanned conversation with Trump recently preceded rumors that the US was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the missiles had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he added.

Michael Hoffman
Michael Hoffman

A former professional bettor turned analyst, Mikael shares data-driven insights to help bettors maximize their returns.