Switzerland has emerged as the likely contender to host the meeting between Zelensky and Putin (Picture: Getty)

Talks of a breakthrough in Russia’s war in Ukraine have rumbled before – but now the prospect of Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky sitting face to face no longer feels entirely out of reach.

Geneva – a historic venue for peace talks – is emerging as a contender to host the high-stakes summit.

After all,the Swiss city witnessed the historic handshake between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president Ronald Reagan,which was the first step towards ending the Cold War.

Emmanuel Macron was the first to raise the possibility of a peace summit being held in Europe,in ‘a neutral country,maybe Switzerland’.

The French president said in an interview on LCI: ‘I am pushing for Geneva.’

He added: ‘Or another country. The last time there were bilateral discussions,it was in Istanbul (Turkey).

For Russia and Ukraine,a meeting in the city would be more than symbolic.

If confirmed,it would be the first time that Putin and Zelensky would face each other since the start of the Russian invasion in an attempt to sketch out the mechanics of a peace deal.

Firefighters work at the site of a fuel storage facility hit by a Russian drone strike on the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa (Picture: Reuters)

The Russian leader is also a subject to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for war crimes,so entering Switzerland should – technically – result in his arrest.

Macron added that ‘we must make‘ an exception for Putin if the meeting takes place in a country that recognizes the ICC.

He said: ‘The work of justice must come,we are ourselves signatories to these treaties.

‘But he is the sitting president,he has a principle of immunity. Peace must move forward,so we must find a place.’

At least one person has been killed in the Russian attack (Picture: Reuters)

Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis told a press conference that,under certain circumstances, Putin would be allowed to set foot in Switzerland.

Last year,the Swiss government defined ‘the rules for granting immunity to a person under an international arrest warrant.’

Cassis explained: ‘If this person comes for a peace conference,not if they come for private reasons.’

He added that Switzerland was fully prepared to host such a meeting and highlighted the militarily-neutral country’s long expertise in the field.

Yesterday,important talks took place in Washington with the President of the United States and European leaders. This was truly a significant step toward ending the war and ensuring the security of Ukraine and our people. We are already working on the concrete content of the… pic.twitter.com/FXGnQfcdzz

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19,2025

Neighbouring Austria has also been flagged as a possible arena for the summit.

Chancellor Christian Stocker said should peace talks take place on its soil,it would