In short

• The summit in Budapest attended by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been canceled due to Russia's unchanging stance towards Donbas.
• Moscow is demanding control over the entire Donbas be transferred to it, rejecting the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine and expressing no willingness to compromise on peace.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claims that Russia has lost interest in peace talks after delaying the decision to transfer long-range weapons to Ukraine, and that the issue of modern weapons supplies remains a key issue for them.

Budapest Summit Cancelled. Moscow Remains Unwavering

A White House official told the media on Tuesday that"there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the near future." The administration assesses it is unlikely that Russia will sign a peace agreement in the near future.

On Tuesday, Lavrov told reporters that Russia's position remains unchanged."I think the American authorities have concluded that Russia's position has remained largely unchanged over time and remains within the bounds of its original, maximalist demands," the minister said.

He added that Russia's position was the same in August when Trump met with Putin in Alaska. Lavrov said that Russia prefers a comprehensive peace agreement to a ceasefire. Critics say this allows the Kremlin to continue fighting and not engage in good faith negotiations.

During a conversation with journalists, Donald Trump also weighed in on the matter. He indicated that he had not yet made a decision regarding the meeting, but did not want it to be"wasted." He also indicated that he still saw a chance for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

"I think Putin wants this to end. I think Zelensky wants this to end. And I think it will end," he said, adding that he would make a decision within two days on whether to meet with the Russian president.

Moscow wrote a letter to Washington. Demands remain unchanged.

The fact that Russia's demands remain unchanged was also assured in an unofficial document that was delivered to the American side last weekend. The letter was reported by Reuters.

The Russians have reiterated their demand to take control of the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, a U.S. official said. This requirement contradicts President Donald Trump's position, which has called for a halt to fighting on the current front line.

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russia had lost interest in peace talks as soon as the decision to transfer long-range weapons to Ukraine was postponed.

"Meanwhile, Russia is once again doing everything to escape diplomacy. And as soon as the issue of (long-range) weapons – for us, for Ukraine – became a bit more distant, Russia almost automatically lost interest in the talks. This is a signal that this very topic – the issue of range – may be the essential key to peace," Zelensky announced.

The president concluded that the greater the range of Ukrainian weapons, the greater Russia's readiness to end the war."The past weeks have confirmed this once again. The discussion about Tomahawks turned out to be a strong investment in diplomacy - we forced Russia to show that Tomahawks are the card they pay attention to. We will talk to the Europeans and Americans about the issue of range. The priority is, of course, air defense," he said.