Where could Trump and Putin meet about the war in Ukraine? The options are limited

President Trump said his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine is set to happen “very shortly” at a date and location that Trump said he would announce “a little bit later” on Friday.

When — and, most critically, where — these talks could happen is still unclear. But finding neutral territory for these negotiations may be tricky as Putin faces the threat of arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In 2023, the ICC in the Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin on war crime charges. This now limits the options for where Trump and Putin can meet as the Russian president faces possible arrest in any of the more than 120 ICC member countries.

What is the ICC and why can it issue arrest warrants?

In response to the need for a permanent international court addressing crimes committed during war, the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is based in The Hague, Netherlands, officially began operating in July 2002.

Since 1999, 125 countries have signed onto the Rome Statute, establishing the international court. Neither the U.S. or Russia are member states. Ukraine became a member in 2024.

The ICC has authority to pursue criminal charges, but only on the most serious crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

The court doesn’t have its own police force or enforcement body, so it relies on countries’ cooperation to make arrests, transfer arrested people to ICC detention in The Hague and to enforce sentences.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin two years ago over alleged war crimes tied to allegations Russia has forcibly abducted Ukrainian children to Russia. The ICC also issued a warrant at the time for Putin’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Russian officials haven’t denied the arrival of Ukrainian children in the country, but have characterized their arrival as part of a humanitarian program for abandoned, war-traumatized orphans.

Putin isn’t the only sitting head of state to face such serious charges from the ICC. Last November, the international court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. The court also issued warrants for Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defense minister, Muhammad Deif, Hamas’ military chief whom Israel says it killed in August, as well as other Hamas officials.

Israel contested the allegations against Netanyahu and Gallant.

‘Russians don’t care about the ICC’

Critics and government leaders have repeatedly questioned the power and authority of the ICC.

“Russians don’t care about the ICC,” said Nina Khrushcheva, an international affairs professor for The New School in New York, especially because of the perception that the U.S. has been hypocritical when it comes to the court.

When the ICC filed arrest warrants against Netanyahu, then-President Joe Biden released a statement that said, “The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

But when the ICC issued a warrant against Putin, the response from the U.S. was more supportive of the international body. At the time, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told NPR, “There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable. The ICC prosecutor is an independent actor and makes his own prosecutorial decisions based on the evidence before him. We support accountability for perpetrators of war crimes.”

Khrushcheva said, “So for Putin, it’s yet another confirmation for him that the West is fairly hypocritical, and so he doesn’t pay attention to it.”

Back in September, Putin traveled to Mongolia, an ICC member since 2002. The trip went smoothly, and Putin was never taken into custody.

The view of the court is that, as a member state, Mongolia had an obligation to honor the ICC’s arrest warrant, according to David Bosco, professor at Indiana University, who spoke to NPR’s All Things Considered last year.

But, Bosco said, “Mongolia is also situated right between Russia and China — two countries that it has enormous economic linkages with. And neither of those countries is a member of the ICC. Neither of them are friendly to the ICC. And Mongolia clearly decided that its economic and diplomatic interests outweighed its legal obligations as a court member.”

What are the leaders’ options?

While experts and analysts have long said the prospect of an arrest of Putin is extremely slim, it’s unlikely that the Russian leader would take the chance and hold such a significant meeting on unfriendly ground, Khrushcheva said.

So this still likely rules out many of the 125 countries listed as ICC members. This leaves technically about 70 nations still available, but fewer still are friendly to both Russia and the U.S.

Khrushcheva says the Middle East looks to be the most promising for both sides to meet, given both Russia and the U.S. have good relations with several countries there.

“Either the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia … Turkey are all potential options,” she said.

This is made even more likely due to the fact prior talks between Russia and Ukraine were previously held in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Many nations in the Middle East have “raised their status quite a bit,” because they’ve held these neutral grounds for negotiation, Khrushcheva said.

And the Middle East has played an increasingly big role in hosting high-stakes international negotiations. The small, wealthy Arab Gulf country of Qatar, also a U.S. ally, served as the home for delicate negotiations between Israel and Hamas, since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. Egypt also played a crucial role in mediating that conflict.