Europe could host Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit: Merz
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Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a three-way summit between Trump, Zelensky, and Putin is being prepared in Europe following the inconclusive Alaska talks.
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Members of protocol put up the Ukrainian flag prior to the arrival of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed on Saturday that preparations are underway for a potential three-way meeting between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with a European location under consideration.
"I think that such a three-way meeting will take place," Merz told German broadcasters NTV and RTL. "The date and place are still to be worked out. We have proposed that a place could be found in Europe," he added.
The suggestion comes directly after the high-profile summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska on August 15, which ended without tangible progress on halting the war in Ukraine. The Anchorage meeting, held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, was the first time Putin had been invited to a Western country since the start of the 2022 war. Despite the symbolic weight of the encounter, Trump failed to secure a ceasefire. Instead, his rhetoric shifted toward pursuing a "full peace agreement," framing Ukraine and Europe as the key actors to advance the process.
Summit Maneuvers
According to reports, Putin used the Alaska summit to press for recognition of Russia's territorial claims and floated the idea of freezing frontlines. Trump, while abandoning earlier demands for an immediate ceasefire, refrained from tightening sanctions or applying new pressure, a move widely interpreted as a symbolic win for Moscow. Analysts described the outcome as a boost for Putin's international standing, while leaving the United States without concrete gains.
Against this backdrop, the push for a broader trilateral summit is seen by European leaders as a way to ensure that Ukraine is not sidelined in negotiations. Merz said that Europe could serve as a neutral platform for sustained dialogue, even suggesting that the venue might evolve into a permanent base for future discussions. "Should maybe be a place where discussions might take place on a permanent basis," he said, though he declined to name a specific country or city. "Those are detailed issues. They will only be clarified in coming days, or even coming weeks," he noted.
Read more: Zelensky to meet Trump in Washington Monday
Still, Putin's presence at any European forum remains legally complicated. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for his arrest over the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children, limiting where he can travel. While the United States is not a party to the ICC, Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of both Trump and Putin, is in the process of withdrawing from the court's founding treaty, potentially opening the door to hosting discussions on European soil.
