Germany leaves Moscow, Kiev to decide summit venue as Budapest mooted
Aug 21, 2025
Moscow [Russia], August 21: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday it was up to Moscow and Kiev to decide where Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky might meet as speculation swirled that Budapest will be the venue.
"The discussions, including the procedure, are being shaped by Russia and Ukraine, not by the German foreign minister from Jakarta," he told journalists while in the Indonesian capital.
US President Donald Trump, who last week met Putin in Alaska and then hosted Zelensky and European leaders in Washington on Monday, is also expected to attend any summit between the pair.
The US Secret Service, responsible for Trump's security, is already making preparations for a trip to Budapest, according to the website Politico. Switzerland had previously said it was prepared to host the possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine despite the arrest warrant issued against Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Source: Qatar Tribune
