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Currently exist "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russia's Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.

Last Thursday Trump stated he and the Russian president would meet in Hungary's capital within two weeks to discuss the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" call and that a meeting was not "needed".

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

Background Context

Trump had discussed a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Various sources suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with those familiar indicating the president had urged him to relinquish large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Russia.

Yet, on Monday Trump endorsed a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and EU officials to halt the conflict on the existing battle lines.

"Freeze the lines in its current state," he stated.

Russia has consistently objected against freezing the current line of contact.

The Russian government was solely focused on "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, implying that pausing conflict would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Political Perspectives

The "root causes" of the war demanded attention, Lavrov emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of maximalist demands that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the military reduction of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

Zelensky said discussions about the current lines were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's spontaneous discussion with Trump last Thursday came ahead of rumors that the US was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike Russian territory.

The Ukrainian leader said it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the weapons systems had proven to be a "strong investment" in diplomacy", he remarked.