Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed Moscow as the venue for a potential summit with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to sources close to the talks.
"Putin mentioned Moscow" during their call on Monday, one of the sources told AFP, adding that Zelensky had said "no" in response.
A diplomatic source close to the discussions said that European leaders had told Trump that Putin's proposal "did not seem like a good idea."
Zelenskyy confirmed to reporters outside the White House he was "ready" for a bilateral with bitter foe Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine has led to tens of thousands of deaths.
In Moscow, a Kremlin aide said that Putin was open to the "idea" of direct talks with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Switzerland said it is "more than ready" to host a peace summit between Russia and Ukraine and would grant Putin "immunity" if he attends, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said Tuesday.
"I believe 200% in organizing this summit and we have been discussing this for a long time," Cassis said in a joint press briefing with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, in Bern, Keystone reported.
He added that he had already reminded Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on several occasions of Switzerland's willingness to organize the gathering.
Cassis expressed gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for the confidence they have shown in Switzerland's role, according to the report.
For his part, Tajani underlined Italy's continued support for convening such a summit, stressing that while Rome is open to hosting, it "supported" Geneva as the venue.
