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There are "no plans" for American leader President Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the near term", a White House official has announced.

This past week Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest within two weeks to address the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House said the two had had a "constructive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "required".

The White House declined to provide additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Background Context

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

Certain accounts claimed his meeting with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with insiders indicating the president had urged him to cede large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on this week Trump endorsed a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the current front line.

"Let it be cut in its current state," he said.

Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the present battle positions.

The Russian government was only interested in "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, implying that halting hostilities would simply constitute a short-term truce.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the war demanded attention, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of extensive requirements that encompass the acknowledgment of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president stated conversations concerning the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday occurred before speculation that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The talk about the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he remarked.