Xinhua Agency, Beijing, October 22. The prospects for the new meeting between the heads of state of Russia and the United States have changed. U.S. President Trump said on the 21st that he had shelved the original meeting plan on the grounds that he did not want to "waste time"; Russian officials said that "preparations for the meeting are still continuing."

According to multiple media analyses, the deadlock is due to the fundamental differences between the two sides on the Ukraine issue. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Russia reiterated its original position on peace talks to the United States and actually rejected the United States 'request. The United States therefore stated that it would not continue to advance the meeting unless Russia met its requirements.

Each word

After talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 16th, Trump announced that the two heads of state will meet in Budapest, Hungary in the near future. However, he told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on the 21st that the meeting plan was put on hold.

"I don't want to have a pointless meeting. I don't want to waste time, so we'll see what happens," Trump said, leaving room, saying further arrangements will be announced "in the next two days." On the same day, Axios News Network quoted White House officials as saying that Trump and Putin will not meet in the near future.

A senior White House official told Reuters that the decision was made after U.S. Secretary of State Rubio spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Friday, saying that implementing the substance of the agreement reached in Alaska is more important than determining the time and place of the latest ¡°Putts meeting¡±.

Russian President's Special Representative for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Kirill Dmitryev said on social media that "the preparations for the new meeting are still ongoing."The Kremlin said there is no specific date for the meeting at the moment and that "serious preparations" need to be made, which may take time.

Since the Trump administration took office in January this year, the attitude toward Russia-Ukraine peace talks has changed again: from initially boasting to end the conflict in 24 hours, to subsequently claiming that the U.S. side will withdraw from the mediator, then saying "a joke". on August 15, Trump and Putin held a face-to-face meeting of U.S. Russian leaders in Alaska in the U.S. for the first time in more than 4 years, at the subsequent joint press conference, Putin said hopes that the agreement reached with Trump was "Ukraine's peace paving the way".

Different positions

Reuters quoted two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter as saying that Russia reiterated to the United States last weekend Russia's conditions for reaching a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement, some of which were inconsistent with the U.S. position. A U.S. official said Russia also stressed that the peace agreement must ensure that no NATO troops are deployed in Ukraine.

Two senior European diplomats believe that Trump's postponement of the meeting with Putin shows that the United States is unwilling to advance the meeting unless Russia meets its requirements.

Leaders of European countries, including Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, issued a statement on Monday, saying they "strongly support" Trump's position of "immediate ceasefire and negotiations on the current front as a starting point."

NATO Secretary General Rutte went to the United States on the 21st to hold talks with Trump. A Western official who declined to be named revealed that Rutte would explain to Trump Europe's position on the ceasefire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

The U.S. government's changing attitude towards the Russia-Ukraine peace talks has exacerbated differences between the United States and Ukraine and Europe. A senior Ukraine official told AFP that the atmosphere of talks between Ukrainian President Zelensky and Trump at the White House on the 17th was "tense" and diplomatic activities to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict seemed to be "spinning in circles."

On the other hand, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, said in the early morning of the 22nd that Russia launched a missile attack on Kiev overnight and caused a fire. Some cars caught fire and some building windows were shattered.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a statement on the evening of 21 that the Ukrainian army carried out a "massive air strike" on a Russian chemical plant in Bryansk, which is the "key facility" for the production of Russian rifles and rocket fuel.