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There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet Russian President Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.

This past week the US president indicated he and the Kremlin leader would hold talks in Budapest within two weeks to examine the Ukraine conflict.

A planning session between America's top diplomat Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov was due to be held this week - but the White House clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a face-to-face session was no longer "needed".

The White House declined to provide further information on why the talks had been put on hold.

Earlier Events

Trump had discussed a Budapest summit via telephone with the Russian leader, a day before meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Various sources indicated his meeting with Zelensky had been a "heated exchange", with sources suggesting the president had urged him to relinquish significant territories of Ukraine's east as part of a agreement with Russia.

Nevertheless, on Monday Trump supported a ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and EU officials to freeze the conflict on the current front line.

"Freeze the lines in its current state," he said.

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

The Russian government was only interested in "long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov stated on this week, suggesting that freezing the front line would only amount to a brief pause.

Political Perspectives

The "fundamental issues" of the war required resolution, Lavrov emphasized, using Moscow's terminology for a range of extensive requirements that involve the acceptance of complete Moscow control over the eastern region as well as the disarmament of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its EU supporters.

Zelensky stated conversations concerning the battle positions were the "commencement of dialogue" but that Moscow was "taking all measures" to prevent dialogue.

He further commented the exclusive issue that could make Moscow "take notice" was that of the supply of distance-capable munitions to the Ukrainian military.

Strategic Factors

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader last Thursday occurred before speculation that the US was preparing to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit deep into Russia.

Zelensky asserted it was the Tomahawks issue that had forced Russia to enter into dialogue. The discussion regarding the missiles had proven to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he added.