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Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has announced.

Recently Trump stated he and the Russian president would meet in Budapest within two weeks to address the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".

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

Background Context

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Certain accounts suggested his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with those familiar claiming Trump had urged him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.

However, on this week the American president embraced a truce plan supported by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.

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

Moscow has repeatedly pushed back against halting the present battle positions.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov commented on this week, implying that freezing the front line would merely represent a brief pause.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the conflict needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of extensive requirements that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a non-starter for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

Zelensky said discussions about the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the sole subject that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with Trump recently preceded reports that the United States was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike inside Russia.

Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.