US considers Budapest for potential Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy summit

The US is planning to hold a trilateral meeting in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, between the leaders of the US, Russia, and Ukraine as the next step in negotiations to end the war.

According to sources who spoke to POLITICO, the US Secret Service is preparing for a summit in the Central European country led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has maintained a close relationship with Trump since the American president’s first term.

When asked about Budapest at a White House press briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, “I will neither confirm nor deny locations.”

The Secret Service typically scouts multiple locations, and the final venue could change, but according to two sources, Budapest stands out as the White House’s first choice.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Trump he preferred Moscow, while French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Geneva as the ideal meeting place.

The Swiss Foreign Minister promised “immunity” from the arrest warrant issued for Putin for war crimes if his country, known for its neutrality, were chosen for peace talks.

Hungary would be an uncomfortable choice for Ukraine, as memories of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum are still vivid. In that memorandum, the US, the United Kingdom, and Russia committed to upholding Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and respect for its borders in exchange for Ukraine relinquishing its nuclear weapons.

On the other hand, the summit itself is uncertain. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated after European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House that a follow-up meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy could take place within a few weeks.

Trump later announced on social media that he would participate in a trilateral meeting with the pair as the final step in peace talks, which gained momentum after he met with Putin in Alaska last week.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with a state channel on Tuesday that Moscow does not rule out talks with Kyiv but is committed to a process that will proceed “step by step, gradually, starting at the expert level and going through all the necessary stages.”

Leavitt reiterated on Tuesday that Putin had agreed to meet with Zelenskyy and added that the White House was working with Russia and Ukraine to make the bilateral meeting happen.

“The president has discussed this with both leaders, and both leaders have expressed their willingness to meet with each other,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt stated that after the bilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy, a trilateral meeting including Trump could be held.

According to a defense official and a person with knowledge of the matter, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine will host military officials from Germany, the UK, France, Finland, and Italy in Washington late Wednesday to begin discussions on security guarantees and how they will be implemented.

The 32 NATO defense ministers will also meet virtually today (August 20). NATO’s top general, Italian Admiral Giuseppe Dragone, will host the teleconference, which will also be attended by the new head of US European Command (EUCOM) and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich.

“There will be other meetings in the coming days, but the details are not yet clear,” said a European diplomat, adding that officials were scrambling to bring together diplomats and military officials from across the continent on very short notice.

“The confirmation that the US will play a role in security guarantees is a positive development,” said a European official who participated in the White House meeting and asked not to be named to discuss internal deliberations.