French President Emmanuel Macron said the meeting will take place after prior talks between Zelenskyy, Putin, and U.S. President Donald Trump, and that the host country for the summit should be neutral, possibly Switzerland or another state.
Macron recalled that previous bilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul, where three rounds of low-level consultations took place from May to July.
He also said France and the United Kingdom plan to meet with other Ukrainian allies to coordinate next steps on security guarantees for Kyiv, a key issue in the Washington talks with Trump.
After that, concrete work with U.S. counterparts will begin: diplomats, ministers, and chiefs of staff will start discussing the parties’ readiness to carry out various tasks.
“Let’s be very careful when we talk about legal recognition. (…) If countries (…) can say, ‘we can seize territories by force,’ [that] opens Pandora’s box,” Macron added.
Vladimir Putin confirmed his willingness to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a phone call with Trump on Aug. 18.
Although the Kremlin has not yet given official approval, a senior U.S. administration official said the meeting could take place in Hungary, Reuters reported. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that it is expected within the next two weeks.