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There are "no preparations" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has announced.

Recently Trump indicated he and the Russian president would hold talks in Hungary's capital soon to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" conversation and that a face-to-face session was no longer "necessary".

The administration withheld any more details on the reason the negotiations had been delayed.

Background Context

Trump had raised the possibility of a Budapest summit over the phone with the Russian leader, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the White House.

Certain accounts suggested his talks with the Ukrainian leader had been a "shouting match", with sources suggesting Trump had pushed him to give up large areas of Ukraine's east as part of a settlement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on Monday the American president embraced a ceasefire proposal endorsed by Ukraine and EU officials to pause the conflict on the current front line.

"Freeze the lines where it stands," he said.

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

The Russian government was only interested in "enduring stability", Lavrov stated on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would simply constitute a temporary ceasefire.

Political Perspectives

The "fundamental issues" of the war required resolution, the Russian diplomat said, using Kremlin shorthand for a set of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of the country – a impossible condition for Ukraine and its EU supporters.

Zelensky commented conversations concerning the front line were the "start of negotiations" but that Russia was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.

He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "take notice" was that of the delivery of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Military Considerations

Putin's unscheduled call with the US leader last Thursday occurred before rumors that the United States was planning to provide extended-range cruise missiles to Ukraine that could theoretically target Russian territory.

Zelensky said it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to engage in discussion. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had emerged as a "significant input" in negotiations", he remarked.