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There are "no preparations" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.

Recently Trump said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House said the two had had a "productive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "required".

The White House declined to provide any more details on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Background Context

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit via telephone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts claimed his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with those familiar suggesting the president had pressured him to give up extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Russia.

Yet, on this week the American president endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the war on the existing battle lines.

"Leave it as is the way it is," he remarked.

Russia has consistently objected against halting the current line of contact.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister stated on Tuesday, indicating that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of extensive requirements that involve the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

Zelensky commented talks regarding the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

Putin's unplanned conversation with the US leader recently preceded reports that the US was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit inside Russia.

Zelensky said it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he added.