Russian sources: Rome unlikely to be the venue for trilateral meeting on Ukraine

(Patria) - A summit with Russian and American presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Italian capital is unlikely to take place, diplomatic sources told TASS.

"A meeting in Rome is unlikely," the source said, noting that there are both logistical and political reasons for this.

The source said that Moscow considers Italy a hostile country and has repeatedly criticized its actions.

"It is unlikely that Russia would want to give political prestige to this government," said another source for the agency, adding that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has already tried to gain political dividends when the Vatican was mentioned as a possible venue for negotiations.

Sky News cited Rome as a possible venue for the trilateral meeting, indicating that this option suits both the United States and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed Geneva as the meeting place.

Prospects for a trilateral meeting

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow is not abandoning any format of work on a Ukrainian solution, including bilateral or trilateral talks.

On August 18, Trump received Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French Prime Minister Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

During the meeting, Trump spoke by phone with Putin about the prospects of a meeting between the Russian leader and Zelensky, and later about trilateral negotiations.
According to Putin's aide Yury Ushakov, the leaders supported the continuation of direct consultations between Moscow and Kyiv, including raising their level.