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There are "no arrangements" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has stated.

This past week the US president stated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital in the coming fortnight to address the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration said the two had had a "constructive" discussion and that a meeting was no longer "necessary".

The White House did not share any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Background Context

The US president had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources indicating the president had pressured him to relinquish extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.

Yet, on this week the American president supported a ceasefire proposal supported by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the war on the existing battle lines.

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

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

The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, suggesting that halting hostilities would merely represent a brief pause.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities demanded attention, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of comprehensive conditions that include the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its Western allies.

Zelensky commented talks regarding the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the provision of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

Zelensky stated it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had turned out to be a "strong investment" in international relations", he commented.