Russia is considering Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as possible locations for talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Reuters reports this.
According to anonymous Russian sources, high-ranking Moscow officials have visited both countries in recent weeks. Some Russian diplomats and intelligence officials are against the idea, pointing to the close military and security ties that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have with the United States. Yet both Trump and Putin enjoy friendly relations with Arab leaders.
At this stage, Reuters sources are dismissing the possibility of holding the event in Turkey. The US president said the other day that his administration had planned “meetings and talks with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov responded that the contacts were “obviously planned”.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan are maintaining neutrality in the war in Ukraine. They do not join Western sanctions against Moscow, but they maintain relations with Volodymyr Zelensky.
In addition, none of the countries signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin, banning him from entering a number of countries.
Trumpʼs plans for war in Ukraine
During his election campaign, Trump claimed that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in one day”. However, after being elected president, his narratives changed. The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal writes that he instructed special envoy Keith Kellogg to end the war in Ukraine in 100 days.
Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine will defend its integrity and will not cede its territories to Russia. In September 2024, Zelensky met with Donald Trump and presented him with a victory plan. According to the Ukrainian leader, the meeting was very meaningful.
The new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that under Donald Trumpʼs presidency, ending the Russia-Ukraine war will be the official policy of the United States. And Trump himself, two days after his inauguration, called on Putin to end the war or face heavy taxes and sanctions.
According to Zelensky, he is impressed by Trumpʼs tactics for ending the war in Ukraine. However, he stressed that Trump and Putinʼs negotiations about a war without Ukraine are dangerous for everyone.
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