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There are "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to meet Russian President Putin "in the near term", a White House official has stated.

Recently the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest within two weeks to address the Ukraine conflict.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House said the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was not "needed".

The administration withheld further information on why the talks had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to meeting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports claimed his meeting with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with insiders indicating the president had pressured him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a deal with Moscow.

However, on this week Trump supported a peace initiative backed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the conflict on the present positions.

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

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

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on this week, implying that pausing conflict would merely represent a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the war needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat stated, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of maximalist demands that include the recognition of total Russian authority over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president commented discussions about the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to prevent dialogue.

He additionally stated the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "pay attention" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday preceded speculation that the US was considering delivering extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could theoretically target Russian territory.

Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "strong investment" in international relations", he remarked.