US President Donald Trump has been setting up a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Western leaders believe they could be sitting across the table within two weeks to discuss ending the conflict.

A few European cities are being floated as possible venues for what would be a historic event, and the Trump administration is being pressed for the details.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will continue to coordinate with Russia and Ukraine "to make this happen as soon as possible."

US media outlet Politico reported the same day that Budapest is emerging as the White House's first choice. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has good relations with both Trump and Putin.

Western media have been reporting in recent days that Istanbul and Geneva are also candidates. Reuters quoted the Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis as saying his country could host Putin, if he is coming for "peace purposes."

Zelenskyy said on social media on Wednesday, "We are confident that peace can be reliable and lasting, and that security guarantees are key to this."

Trump has said Europe is willing to put forces on the ground, and suggested the United States could provide air support. But the details on the plans remain unclear.

US news website Axios said Tuesday that Rubio is leading a commission with European and Ukrainian national security advisers to draft a proposal on security guarantees. It quoted a Ukrainian official as saying it may come up with "some clear architecture" by the end of this week.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the move. He said, "seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, a road to nowhere." ।