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There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official has declared.

Last Thursday the US president said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the war in Ukraine.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was planned for recently - but the administration clarified the two had had a "productive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".

The White House withheld additional specifics on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.

Background Context

The US president had raised the possibility of a Hungarian meeting via telephone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House.

Various sources suggested his talks with Zelensky had been a "shouting match", with insiders suggesting Trump had pressured him to cede large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a deal with Moscow.

Nevertheless, on this week the American president endorsed a peace initiative supported by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the war on the existing battle lines.

"Freeze the lines the way it is," he stated.

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against halting the existing front lines.

Moscow was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Russia's foreign minister commented on Tuesday, indicating that halting hostilities would merely represent a temporary ceasefire.

Negotiating Stances

The "root causes" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of comprehensive conditions that include the recognition of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its European partners.

Zelensky stated talks regarding the front line were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "employing all tactics" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the exclusive issue that could cause Russia to "become engaged" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's unplanned conversation with Trump last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could theoretically target Russian territory.

Zelensky asserted it was the missile discussion that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had proven to be a "significant input" in diplomacy", he added.