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There are "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a administration representative has announced.

Last Thursday the US president said 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 Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "required".

The White House did not share additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been postponed.

Background Context

Trump had discussed a Budapest summit over the phone with the Russian leader, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports suggested his meeting with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with sources suggesting Trump had urged him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Moscow.

Yet, on Monday the American president embraced a peace initiative backed by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the existing battle lines.

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

Russia has consistently objected against pausing the existing front lines.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, indicating that halting hostilities would simply constitute a short-term truce.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the conflict needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a range of extensive requirements that involve the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky commented conversations concerning the front line were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the only topic that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the supply of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unplanned conversation with the US leader recently occurred before rumors that the US was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit inside Russia.

Zelensky said it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he commented.