Switzerland has offered to grant Putin immunity if he travels there for peace talks, despite the ICC arrest warrant.
BY PC Bureau
Amid ongoing high-stakes negotiations over the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly suggested holding a peace summit with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Moscow. The proposal came during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, according to three sources cited by AFP.
The discussion coincided with a Washington summit where Trump met Zelenskyy alongside European leaders backing Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion.
“Putin mentioned Moscow” during the call on Monday, one source told AFP, noting that Zelenskyy immediately declined. A diplomatic source close to the talks added that European leaders had advised Trump that Putin’s proposal “did not seem like a good idea.”
READ: Amid Slogans of “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod,” Rahul Produces a Deleted “Victim”
Following Monday’s White House meeting with leaders from Germany, France, Finland, Italy, and the UK, Trump said the next step toward ending the conflict, now in its fourth year, would be a direct face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has repeatedly expressed willingness to meet Putin to halt Russia’s invasion, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions.
During the call, Putin told Trump he was open to the “idea” of direct talks, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, according to state media. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized on Tuesday that any meeting between the two presidents would require “very thorough” preparation.
🚨⚡️President Putin told Trump yesterday that they can host the Zelensky-Putin Summit in Moscow.
Zelensky reportedly denied the offer. pic.twitter.com/cxxCdErAG5
— RussiaNews 🇷🇺 (@mog_russEN) August 19, 2025
Earlier, Switzerland offered to grant Putin immunity if he traveled there for peace negotiations, despite the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him.
Trump met with Putin last week in Anchorage, Alaska, ending years of Western isolation of the Russian leader. The US president left the meeting without any concrete guarantees of peace.
READ: SC Slams CFSL for ‘Misdirected’ Biren Singh Tape Probe
After the Alaska summit, Trump told Fox News that the onus of securing a ceasefire now rests with Zelenskyy. “Now, it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done,” Trump said, adding that European nations would also need to get involved. “If they’d like, I’ll be at that next meeting,” he said.
Nevertheless, Trump acknowledged that the Alaska talks, which lasted nearly three hours, did not result in an agreement to pause the war, although he described progress as “great” during discussions with the Russian delegation
