Trump administration eyes Budapest for US-Russia-Ukraine summit; Zelenskyy calls Washington talks a major step. Photo/X.
The Trump administration is reportedly working on a potential trilateral meeting between the presidents of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine in Budapest, Hungary, as a possible next step toward negotiating an end to the years-long conflict in Ukraine, according to various reports.
The US Secret Service has begun preparations for the proposed summit in Hungary, a Central European nation led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has maintained close ties with President Donald Trump since his first term in office.
While the Secret Service typically evaluates multiple potential locations and the final venue could change, Budapest is reportedly emerging as the first choice for the administration, said the two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a preference for Moscow as the meeting location, while French President Emmanuel Macron has advocated for Geneva.
Switzerland also offered assurances of “immunity” to Putin concerning an outstanding war crimes warrant if the neutral nation were chosen to host the talks.
Hungary as a venue presents sensitivities for Ukraine due to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. Under the agreement, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia pledged to uphold Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and borders in exchange for Kyiv relinquishing its nuclear weapons. The memorandum’s effectiveness was called into question when Russia launched its 2014 assault on Ukraine and none of the signatories intervened militarily to counter the attacks.
Following his recent visit to the White House, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CBS News that no date had yet been set to meet with Putin. On Tuesday, he posted on X that the Washington discussions represented “truly a significant step toward ending the war and ensuring the security of Ukraine and our people.”
“We are already working on the concrete content of the security guarantees,” Zelenskyy added. “Today, we continue coordination at the level of leaders. There will be discussions, and we are preparing the relevant formats.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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