Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Photo: David Silpa/UPI
Russia is considering two Persian Gulf countries as potential venues for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reports, citing Russian sources.
Trump said he was ready to meet with Putin and expressed his intention to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. However, the Kremlin denies any official contacts with the US to arrange a telephone conversation between the leaders before a possible face-to-face meeting.
In recent weeks, Russian officials have visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but there is ongoing debate in Russia about the appropriateness of such a venue for the summit, as both countries have close ties to Washington.
The Kremlin acknowledged that contacts with the Trump administration are “probably planned” but refused to comment on possible locations for the summit. Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan remain neutral on the war in Ukraine and continue to cooperate with both Russia and Ukraine.
Analysts believe that the options of traditional venues for negotiations, such as Geneva or Vienna, have been ruled out due to the involvement of Western countries on Ukraine’s side. At the same time, Turkey, which has already mediated the talks in 2022, is not currently seen as a neutral location.
