Peace push: US eyes Budapest for Donald Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy meet; Russia signals gradual approach
The White House is considering Budapest as the potential venue for a high-stakes trilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a Trump administration official and a person familiar with the discussions.
According to Politico, the US Secret Service has begun preparations in Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a long-time ally of Trump. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to confirm details, saying, 'I'm not going to confirm or deny locations.'
While Moscow has pushed for the talks to take place in Russia and French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested Geneva, Budapest has emerged as the frontrunner, Politico noted.
Switzerland also offered itself as a host, with its foreign minister promising 'immunity' to Putin despite an outstanding war crimes warrant.
Hungary's selection would be sensitive for Kyiv, recalling the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which the US, UK and Russia guaranteed Ukraine's sovereignty in exchange for it giving up nuclear weapons, a pledge undermined by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Despite ongoing uncertainty, momentum has built following Trump's recent Alaska meeting with Putin.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a bilateral between Putin and Zelenskyy could happen within weeks, with Trump later announcing he would join them in a trilateral format as a 'final step.'
Russian officials, however, are said to be slowing progress. Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told state television Moscow favoured talks that proceed 'step by step, gradually.'
At Tuesday's briefing, Leavitt confirmed that 'President Trump spoke with President Putin by phone, and he agreed to begin the next phase of the peace process, a meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy, which would be followed, if necessary, by a trilateral meeting between President Putin, President Zelenskyy and President Trump.'
As per Fox News, she added that Vice President JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff were coordinating efforts to make the bilateral happen 'as soon as possible.'
The update came a day after Zelenskyy and several European leaders met Trump at the White House to discuss next steps. Leaders praised Trump's role, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb remarking, 'In the past two weeks, we've probably had more progress in ending this war than we have in the past three-and-a-half years.'
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed the view, saying that for years 'nobody has been able to bring it to this point.' Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte added, 'Without President Trump, this deadlock with Putin would not have been broken.'
According to Politico, Nato defence chiefs and senior military leaders from the US, UK, Germany, France, Finland and Italy are holding parallel talks in Washington on possible security guarantees for Ukraine, including discussions over a peacekeeping mission and additional American arms.
Putin, meanwhile, used his joint press conference with Trump in Alaska to endorse Trump's long-standing claim about the origins of the war, saying, 'I can confirm that' Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Trump had been re-elected in 2020.
As questions continue about long-term security guarantees for Ukraine beyond Trump's current term, Leavitt said the president 'understands the need' and is discussing future commitments with Nato and European partners.
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