Russian invasion Negotiations

Expert: Budapest favourite for Putin-Zelensky meeting

Some hope remains for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, but a key question in such a case is where the meeting should be held, reports Euractiv.

Several cities have been raised as suggestions: Budapest, Geneva, Vienna, Rome, Istanbul, Doha and Moscow. But according to Michael Benhamou, head of the think tank OPEWI, Budapest is the best place.

Hungary is not a member of the International Criminal Court, ICC, which means that it is not obliged to arrest wanted war criminal Vladimir Putin. In addition, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is said to welcome both Putin and Donald Trump with open arms.

A place like Doha is certainly neutral for both parties, but would not give Trump as many political points in purely optical terms, says Benhamou.

Analysis: Donbas important to Putin for several reasons

The Donbas region in eastern Ukraine has become the focus of both the Russian invasion and the peace negotiations between the countries. In addition to the symbolic reasons, the area is strategically important militarily, write the Wall Street Journal's James Marson and Andrew Barnett in an analysis.

"West of Donetsk, the landscape is much flatter, opening up a large area east of the Dnipro River that the Kremlin could try to take over by resuming its invasion."

The authors are supported by the New York Times, which states that a handover of Donbas would pave the way for new future invasions from Russia. In addition to the geographical advantages, such a land gain would give the Kremlin access to important military fortifications.

That is why security guarantees from the West are the only thing Ukraine can accept in exchange for territorial concessions, write the newspaper's Kim Barker and Constant Méheut:

"But the guarantee must be strong, for example with a combination of European troops and American air support, which would deter Russia from future attacks."

Stubb does not believe in a meeting between Putin and Zelensky

Finnish President Alexander Stubb does not believe that there will be a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

- I am not optimistic. Right now I do not see a meeting between Zelensky, Putin and Trump as a possibility, Stubb said during a visit to Åland on Monday, Yle reports.

At the same time, he is positive that the relationship between Trump and Zelensky has strengthened.

Stubb and Finland have been given a key position in the peace negotiations. He himself participated in the summit at the White House recently.

– It is good for us as a country that we get to sit around the table where decisions are made, he says.