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There are "no arrangements" for US President President Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has announced.

Last Thursday the US president indicated he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital soon to examine the war in Ukraine.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "productive" conversation and that a meeting was not "necessary".

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

Background Context

Trump had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders indicating Trump had urged him to relinquish extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Moscow.

However, on this week Trump embraced a peace initiative supported by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the hostilities on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut where it stands," he said.

Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the present battle positions.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the war needed to be addressed, Lavrov emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of maximalist demands that involve the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky stated talks regarding the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.

He also said the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday preceded rumors that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The talk about the missiles had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he commented.