White House considering hosting Zelenskyy, Putin peace talks in Budapest: insider

PANews reported on August 20th that Politico reported that a Trump administration official and a person close to the US government revealed that the White House is planning a possible meeting between the heads of state of the US, Russia, and Ukraine in Budapest, Hungary, as the next step in negotiations to end the protracted war. The US Secret Service is preparing for the summit. The two anonymous sources said that while the Secret Service typically examines multiple locations and the final venue is subject to change, Budapest is becoming the White House's preferred location. Putin told Trump that he preferred Moscow, while French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for Geneva as the ideal venue. Not to be outdone, the Swiss Foreign Minister promised to provide Putin with "immunity" from outstanding war crimes charges if Switzerland, known for its neutrality, is selected for peace talks. However, Hungary would be an awkward choice for Ukraine, as it evokes memories of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which the US, UK, and Russia pledged to respect Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and borders in exchange for its nuclear weapons. But the 2014 attacks proved the agreement meaningless as none of the signatories provided military force to retaliate.