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There are "no preparations" for US President President Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has stated.

This past week the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to examine the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "productive" call and that a meeting was no longer "required".

The administration declined to provide additional specifics on why the talks had been postponed.

Background Context

Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports indicated his talks with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with insiders claiming the president had urged him to give up extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Moscow.

However, on Monday the American president embraced a truce plan supported by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Let it be cut the way it is," he remarked.

Moscow has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.

Moscow was solely focused on "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, indicating that freezing the front line would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "underlying reasons" of the hostilities required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a range of comprehensive conditions that include the acknowledgment of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its European partners.

The Ukrainian president stated discussions about the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently occurred before rumors that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike inside Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in negotiations", he added.