Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin — either bilaterally or in a three-way format that also includes U.S. President Donald Trump — after holding talks with Trump and several European leaders at the White House earlier this week. Zelensky and European leaders are canvassing neutral venues for the encounter. French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed Geneva, while Kyiv has added Vienna and Istanbul to the list. Putin has floated Moscow, and Washington has mentioned Budapest, though Zelensky called the Hungarian capital "challenging" because of Budapest’s alignment with Moscow. Speaking in Kyiv on 21 August, Zelensky said Ukraine expects a “strong reaction” from Washington if the Kremlin declines the meeting, arguing that security guarantees for Kyiv must precede any agreement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded that Putin has "repeatedly" signalled readiness to sit down with the Ukrainian leader, but there is still no consensus on terms or location. The diplomatic push comes as Russia’s invasion, now in its fourth year, remains largely attritional, with Moscow holding just under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.