Xinhua News Agency, Washington, October 22 Why the meeting of the US-Russian leaders in Hungary was postponed

Newspapers of Xinhua.

White House officials on Monday confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not recently hold face-to-face talks on the issue of Ukraine in Hungary¡¯s capital Budapest, and the meeting arrangements have been ¡°stopped¡±.

Why is the meeting scheduled to "shut down the brakes"

Trump said on Monday that he was unwilling to "held a meaningless meeting ... a waste of time," but did not rule out the possibility of new changes, and the decision on the meeting would be made in the coming days.

From the timeline, Trump spoke to Putin on the 16th and announced the news of a recent meeting, and on the 17th meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House, he called for a "on-site" ceasefire between the Russian and Ukrainian sides, each declaring "victory".

According to U.S. media disclosure, during talks with the White House, Trump pressured Zelensky to ask Ukraine to compromise on territorial issues in order to quickly a ceasefire, and the two were rejected, while Lavrov reiterated Russia's position in a call with Rubio: rejecting any "first ceasefire" proposal and freezing the existing front; in exchange for Russian control of the entire Donbass region in exchange for a "comprehensive peace agreement".

According to reports, Lavrov also said on the 21st that Russia's position is consistent with that of the Alaska summit of Russian and American leaders in August. "I believe US officials have come to the conclusion that Russia's position has basically remained unchanged over time".

Within a few days, Trump encountered a double rejection from Russia. It is clear that if Trump and Putin meet again with Russia on the assumption of their respective positions and no guarantees of results, it is likely that they will repeat the Alaska summit "empty talks."Therefore, Trump believes that the two sides are not ready to negotiate seriously, and the meeting is now a "waste of time."

Can Trump mediate independently

Analysts believe that Trump wants to lead and also regards himself as the leader. But with the increasing number of empty "political shows", the reputation of the "mediator" Trump hopes to play is bound to be compromised. To end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States cannot do without European support. If the United States and Europe cannot maintain unity on the Ukraine issue, the Ukraine conflict will be difficult to resolve through diplomatic channels. This has become the consensus of the United States and Europe.

NATO has been coordinating European member states to purchase weapons from the United States to Ukraine.The US media expects Trump to meet with NATO Secretary-General Luther at the White House on 22nd, the EU will hold a summit in Brussels on 23rd to discuss more economic sanctions on Russia, and the "voluntary alliance" of countries supporting Ukraine will also be held in London.

The French Presidential Palace issued a joint statement by several European leaders on the Ukraine issue on the 21st, saying that it "strongly supports" Trump's position on the Ukraine issue, that is, Russia and Ukraine will cease fire immediately and use the current front line as the starting point for negotiations. The statement also stressed that "international borders cannot be changed by force," calling for increased pressure on Russia's economy and defense industry and continued support for Ukraine.

According to reports, the EU plans to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine and is drafting a new proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which includes a ceasefire on existing fronts, exchanging prisoners of war and providing security guarantees for Ukraine. The plan envisages the establishment of a "peace committee" chaired by Trump to oversee the implementation of the proposal, so as to cater to and highlight Trump's "leading" role.

Why the position shakes.

Since Trump returned to the White House, his stance on the conflict in Ukraine has shaken. He first claimed that Ukraine had "no cards" in his hands and asked for "practical concessions" from Ukraine on territorial issues. After the Alaska summit, the Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire negotiations fell into a deadlock, he turned out to be "very disappointed" with Putin, and in September said that Ukraine, with the support of the EU and NATO, is expected to "win back all its territory" and said it is considering providing Ukraine with "tacks" cruise missiles.

Public opinion generally believes that Trump's position may continue to swing in the future. Analysts pointed out that behind this swing, Trump's two mentality towards the Ukrainian conflict are reflected: first, his demands are different from those of Russia, Ukraine and Europe. Trump's core goal is not the victory or post-war arrangement of one party, but a quick ceasefire, and the immediate "realization" of the ceasefire into a personal diplomatic achievement; Secondly, although it claims to "promote peace with strength," it is unwilling to substantially increase military aid to Ukraine, nor is it willing to bear the risk of escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict and further involvement of the United States.

Although Zelensky has repeatedly stated that the Russian side will take the negotiations seriously only if Ukraine has a deep-range capability to strike Russian targets. But the ¡°Tax¡± cruise missile requires the U.S. military to provide launch platform, repair and personnel training, and the Russian side has repeatedly warned that this will lead to escalation of the conflict. Trump¡¯s swing on whether to provide ¡°Tax¡± cruise missiles to Ukraine shows that he is more using the ¡°Tax¡± as a diplomatic code.