🔗 Share this article Preparations for Putin-Trump Talks Postponed Shortly After Budapest Talks Announced Putin and Trump previously convened in August in the northern US state and the American leader had said additional talks would take place in Budapest There are "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced. Last Thursday Trump stated he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest soon to discuss the war in Ukraine. A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "required". The administration did not share further information on why the talks had been delayed. Previous Developments The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House. Some reports indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming Trump had urged him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia. However, on Monday the American president endorsed a peace initiative supported by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the war on the existing battle lines. "Let it be cut in its current state," he remarked. Moscow has frequently resisted against pausing the existing front lines. The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister stated on Tuesday, indicating that halting hostilities would only amount to a temporary ceasefire. Diplomatic Positions The "fundamental issues" of the war demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Moscow's terminology for a range of maximalist demands that encompass the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a non-starter for Ukraine and its Western allies. The Ukrainian president commented discussions about the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue. He further commented the only topic 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 occurred before reports that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that could possibly hit deep into Russia. Zelensky said it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he remarked.