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There are "no arrangements" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin "in the near term", a White House official has declared.

This past week the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest soon to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Sergei Lavrov was planned for this week - but the White House stated the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was not "needed".

The administration declined to provide any more details on the reason the negotiations had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

The US president had discussed a Hungarian meeting via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources claiming Trump had pressured him to cede significant territories of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.

Yet, on this week Trump embraced a truce plan endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the hostilities on the existing battle lines.

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

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the current line of contact.

Moscow was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov commented on Tuesday, suggesting that pausing conflict would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Diplomatic Positions

The "root causes" of the war demanded attention, the Russian diplomat emphasized, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of comprehensive conditions that include the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

The Ukrainian president said discussions about the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.

He also said the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the provision of extended-range arms to the Ukrainian military.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday came ahead of reports that the United States was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukrainian forces that could potentially strike deep into Russia.

Zelensky stated it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had turned out to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he commented.