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There are "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a administration representative has stated.

Last Thursday Trump indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest soon to address the ongoing hostilities.

A preparatory meeting between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the White House stated the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "required".

The White House withheld further information on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.

Earlier Events

Trump had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting over the phone with the Russian leader, 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 sources indicating Trump had pressured him to cede extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Moscow.

Yet, on this week Trump embraced a peace initiative supported by Kyiv and EU officials to freeze the war on the current front line.

"Let it be cut where it stands," he remarked.

Russia has frequently resisted against freezing the present battle positions.

Moscow was solely focused on "enduring stability", Lavrov said on Tuesday, suggesting that freezing the front line would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the hostilities needed to be addressed, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of maximalist demands that include the acceptance of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its Western allies.

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

He further commented the sole subject that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the delivery of extended-range arms to Ukraine.

Strategic Factors

Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently preceded rumors that the United States was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the missiles had proven to be a "strong investment" in negotiations", he commented.