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There are "no arrangements" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has declared.

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital within two weeks to examine the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the White House stated the two had had a "positive" call and that a face-to-face session was no longer "required".

The administration did not share additional specifics on why the talks had been delayed.

Background Context

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit via telephone with the Russian leader, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with insiders indicating Trump had urged him to relinquish extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump supported a truce plan endorsed by Ukraine and European leaders to halt the war on the existing battle lines.

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

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against halting the existing front lines.

Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a range of maximalist demands that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president stated conversations concerning the current lines were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Russia was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday preceded rumors that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the missiles had turned out to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he remarked.