The White House is planning a possible trilateral meeting between the presidents of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine in the Hungarian capital Budapest as the next step in negotiations to end the war. Politico reports this, citing a Trump administration official and a person close to the administration, according to UNN.
Details
The US Secret Service is preparing for a summit in this Central European country under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has maintained close ties with President Donald Trump since his first term in office
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked about Budapest during a media briefing on Tuesday, said: "I'm not going to confirm or deny locations."
Sources say that while the Secret Service often explores several options, and the final meeting location may change, Budapest is becoming a priority choice for the White House.
Putin told Trump that he prefers Moscow, and French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that Geneva would be an ideal meeting place. Not to be outdone, the Swiss Foreign Minister promised Putin "immunity" from an unfulfilled warrant for war crimes charges if the country, known for its neutrality, was chosen for peace talks.
Trump refused Putin's offer for a meeting in Moscow - NYT8/20/25, 9:14 AM • [views_3889]
Politico notes that Hungary would be an awkward choice for Ukraine, as it harks back to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which the US, UK, and Russia pledged to uphold Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and respect for its borders in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons. Putin's attack on Ukraine in 2014 proved the futility of this agreement, as none of the signatory countries provided military forces to repel the attacks.
But the summit itself remains uncertain. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday after a meeting of European leaders with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House that the next talks between Putin and Zelenskyy could take place within weeks. Then Trump announced on social media that he would join them for a trilateral meeting as the final step in peace talks that gained momentum after Trump met with the Russian president in Alaska last week.
Now Russian officials are starting to slow down any such meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow does not rule out negotiations with Ukraine, but insists on following a process that will unfold "step by step, gradually, starting from the expert level and then going through all the necessary stages."
White House spokeswoman Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that Putin had agreed to meet with Zelenskyy, adding that the White House was working with Russia and Ukraine to make a bilateral meeting happen.
Addition
Reuters reported that a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin is possible in Hungary.
RaiNews reported that Trump postponed his own vacation amid preparations for another round of talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Axios reported that during a phone call, Donald Trump emphasized to Putin that he should meet directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging him to be "realistic."