The White House is weighing Budapest as a potential location to host a trilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a report by Politico citing a US official.

The report noted that the US Secret Service is already preparing for the possibility of a summit in Hungary. However, discussions on the venue are still ongoing. Russian President Putin reportedly told Trump he preferred Moscow, while French President Emmanuel Macron offered Geneva as an alternative.

Earlier on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to confirm or deny Budapest as a possible host city, stressing that no final decision had yet been made.

Putin, Trump discuss ongoing negotiations

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Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that during their latest phone call, Putin and Trump agreed that direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations should continue, with the possibility of raising the level of representation in future talks.

Meanwhile, two sources informed AFP that Putin suggested holding a possible meeting with Zelensky in Moscow during a recent phone call with US President Donald Trump.

“Putin mentioned Moscow” as a location for direct talks aimed at ending the war, one of the sources said. The source added that Zelensky immediately rejected the idea. 

The disclosure came after Trump hosted Zelensky and European leaders in Washington for discussions on ceasefire frameworks and security guarantees for Ukraine. 

While Washington has encouraged direct dialogue between the two leaders, Kiev has consistently ruled out such talks without major concessions from Moscow.

Read more: Trump says working to arrange meeting between Putin and Zelensky