Ukraine Peace Talks Hit Snags Amid Trump-Putin Summit Preparations

European leaders emphasize Ukraine's current battle lines as the starting point for peace discussions amid preparations for a summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest. Talks are delayed as Lavrov and Rubio's preliminary meeting was postponed. While Trump's meeting with Zelenskiy was contentious, it ends with U.S. support for a ceasefire.

European leaders urged on Tuesday that any peace negotiations must use the current battle lines in Ukraine as a starting point, amidst challenges in scheduling a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The summit plans, aiming at resolving the Ukrainian conflict, face hurdles after a preparatory meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was postponed. This meeting was expected to happen in Budapest on Thursday.

Concerns are growing among Ukraine's European allies about the possibility of Trump meeting Putin without securing firm concessions, especially after Trump's recent contentious discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Washington, which nonetheless resulted in Trump's public backing of an immediate ceasefire.