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Currently exist "no plans" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.

Last Thursday Trump indicated he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest soon to address the war in Ukraine.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House said the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a meeting was not "required".

The White House withheld any more details on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Background Context

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting during a call with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar indicating the president had pushed him to give up significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Russia.

Yet, on this week the American president supported a truce plan backed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Freeze the lines in its current state," he stated.

Russia has frequently resisted against halting the present battle positions.

The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov commented on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would simply constitute a brief pause.

Political Perspectives

The "fundamental issues" of the war demanded attention, the Russian diplomat stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of maximalist demands that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky stated conversations concerning the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday came ahead of reports that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "significant input" in international relations", he remarked.