🔗 Share this article Preparations for Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved Days Following Budapest Talks Suggested Trump and Putin previously convened in August in the northern US state and the American leader had said additional talks would take place in Budapest Currently exist "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has announced. Recently Trump stated he and the Kremlin leader would meet in Budapest soon to discuss the Ukraine conflict. A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "productive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "required". The administration declined to provide additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold. Previous Developments The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a day before meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office. Some reports indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with sources indicating Trump had pressured him to give up large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow. Yet, on this week Trump endorsed a truce plan backed by Kyiv and EU officials to pause the conflict on the current front line. "Let it be cut in its current state," he remarked. Russia has consistently objected against halting the present battle positions. The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov said on Tuesday, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire. Political Perspectives The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities demanded attention, Lavrov stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of extensive requirements that involve the acceptance of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its EU supporters. The Ukrainian president commented conversations concerning the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue. He also said the sole subject that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military. Weapons Discussions Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday occurred before reports that the US was planning to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit inside Russia. Zelensky asserted it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The discussion regarding the missiles had emerged as a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he added.