Diplomatic efforts are underway to organize a rare meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. If it happens, it would mark only the second time the two leaders have sat together at the same table.

The last—and only—meeting between Zelensky and Putin took place in December 2019 in Paris during the Normandy Format Summit. This informal forum, created by France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine, aimed to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Ukrainian forces had been fighting Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Zelensky, newly elected in May 2019, joined the summit alongside Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Discussions focused on a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, troop withdrawals from frontline areas, and implementing political provisions from earlier Minsk agreements, including local elections in occupied territories. While some agreements were reached, lasting peace remained elusive.

Over the years, proposals for another meeting have surfaced repeatedly, seeking a negotiated ceasefire in the ongoing conflict, but none have come to fruition. Subsequent diplomatic meetings involved representatives rather than the leaders themselves. The situation escalated further in February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, derailing earlier Normandy Format efforts.

Following a recent summit in Washington, US President Donald Trump announced plans to facilitate a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Putin, potentially followed by a trilateral session including himself. The proposed meeting underscores ongoing international efforts to pursue dialogue and peace, even as the war in Ukraine continues.