Donald Trump said he was ready to meet with Putin to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
Russia is considering Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as possible venues for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This was reported by Reuters sources familiar with the course of the negotiations.
Donald Trump promised that he would put an end to the war in Ukraine in the near future and is ready to hold a meeting with Putin. Putin, in turn, congratulated Trump and expressed a desire to meet to discuss the situation in Ukraine and energy issues.
In Russia, some officials have repeatedly said they have no direct contacts with the United States to prepare for a phone call between Trump and Putin that could precede a meeting later this year. But sources speaking anonymously said Russian officials have visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent weeks. There is some resistance in Russia to the idea, with diplomats and intelligence officials pointing to the Saudis and UAE’s close military and security ties with the United States.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not commented, and the Kremlin has also declined to comment. But both Trump and Putin have warm relations with their leaders. Trump has said his administration plans meetings and talks with a variety of parties, including Ukraine and Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that such contacts were “obviously planned.”
Particular attention is drawn to the role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who became the first foreign leader Trump spoke with after taking office. Trump praised the prince as a “fantastic guy” during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In turn, Putin expressed gratitude to Mohammed bin Salman for helping to organize the largest prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia since the Cold War when he visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2023.
Recall that earlier we wrote that almost two weeks after Trump's inauguration, the White House did not start a dialogue with the Kremlin. Moscow declares readiness for negotiations, but notes absence of “signals” from US.
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