A White House official has confirmed that there are currently “no plans” for U.S. President Donald Trump to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin “in the immediate future.” Trump had previously mentioned potential talks in Budapest within two weeks to address the ongoing war in Ukraine.
A preparatory meeting was scheduled between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; however, following a productive phone call, the White House deemed an in-person meeting unnecessary. Further details on the cancellation of the talks were not provided by the White House.
Trump discussed the Budapest summit with Putin prior to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Reports indicated that this meeting with Zelensky was contentious, with suggestions that Trump urged Zelensky to cede significant territories in eastern Ukraine as part of a potential deal with Russia. Nevertheless, Trump later supported a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders, advocating for a halt along the current front line.
Russia, however, has expressed objections to freezing the existing line of contact. Lavrov stated that Moscow seeks “long-term, sustainable peace,” noting that simply freezing the front line would not resolve the conflict and asserting the need to address its “root causes.” This perspective includes demands for full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas and the demilitarization of Ukraine, which are not acceptable to Kyiv or its European partners.
Zelensky referred to discussions regarding the front line as a “beginning of diplomacy,” while asserting that Russia is resisting genuine diplomatic efforts. He mentioned that Russia would likely respond to discussions on supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine. Speculation had arisen over the U.S. potentially supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which Zelensky suggested was influencing Russia’s willingness to engage in dialogue.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gjp73gp41o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss