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

Last Thursday the US president stated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest soon to discuss the ongoing hostilities.

A planning session between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the White House said the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was not "necessary".

The administration withheld additional specifics on why the talks had been put on hold.

Background Context

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a day before meeting Ukrainian President President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Some reports indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "contentious discussion", with insiders suggesting Trump had pressured him to relinquish extensive regions of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.

Yet, on this week the American president endorsed a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Kyiv and European leaders to halt the hostilities on the present positions.

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

Moscow has frequently resisted against halting the existing front lines.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "enduring stability", Lavrov said on this week, implying that pausing conflict would only amount to a short-term truce.

Diplomatic Positions

The "fundamental issues" of the conflict demanded attention, the Russian diplomat said, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of maximalist demands that involve the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the disarmament of the country – a unacceptable proposition for Kyiv and its European partners.

Zelensky said discussions about the battle positions were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He also said the sole subject that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

Putin's unscheduled call with Trump last Thursday preceded reports that the United States was planning to provide distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could possibly hit deep into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader asserted it was the missile discussion that had compelled Moscow to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he commented.