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Currently exist "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has announced.

This past week the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to examine the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".

The White House did not share any more details on why the talks had been delayed.

Background Context

The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources indicating Trump had urged him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.

However, on this week the American president endorsed a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the present positions.

"Let it be cut in its current state," he stated.

Moscow has frequently resisted against freezing the present battle positions.

Moscow was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, suggesting that pausing conflict would only amount to a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "underlying reasons" of the war demanded attention, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a series of maximalist demands that involve the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president commented conversations concerning the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was considering delivering long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit Russian territory.

Zelensky stated it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The talk about the missiles had turned out to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he commented.