US President Donald Trump said that he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin very soon to talk about Ukraine, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Trump told reporters that he believes such a meeting will happen very soon. He also said he was working hard to achieve peace in Ukraine and that he believed both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted the fighting to stop.
Asked by a reporter about a possible date for the meeting with Putin, possibly in Saudi Arabia, Trump said: "There's no date set, but it could happen very soon," AFP reported.
Trump also revealed that Stephen Witkoff, who is also one of his top international affairs advisers, met with Putin for about three hours. Trump did not specify the date, AFP reported.
When asked if Putin intended to take over all of Ukraine, Trump said: "No." "That's the question I asked him, because if he did, it would be a big problem for us." "That would be a big problem for me because we can't let that happen," Trump said.
Trump's comments come as the United States and Russia prepare for initial talks in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, Reuters notes.
At the same time, the Russian publication "Kommersant" announced that the talks on Ukraine will begin on Tuesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
A US official said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a delegation that will visit Saudi Arabia for direct talks with Russian officials in the coming days with the aim of ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.
The talks to be held in Riyadh are expected to include US National Security Adviser Michael Walz, as well as Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Stephen Witkoff, the US official said.
Rubio himself said regarding possible talks on Ukraine that nothing has been finalized. In an interview with CBS, he said that these negotiations would be an opportunity to start a more comprehensive conversation that would involve Ukraine and that would touch on the issue of ending the war.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the United Arab Emirates in connection with a “large-scale humanitarian program” ahead of the expected meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, NOVA reported.
Zelensky posted a video of himself getting off the plane in the UAE and talking to officials.
“Official visit with the first lady to the United Arab Emirates“, he wrote on Telegram.
“The priority is to bring even more of our people home from captivity. As well as investments and economic partnership. A large humanitarian program“, Zelensky added.
Moscow and Washington are preparing a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump, which has caused concern in Kiev and Europe, which do not want to be excluded from peace talks, notes Agence France-Presse.
The UAE is an important mediator between Ukraine and Russia, which has already participated in reaching agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children to their homeland, the French agency recalls.
Earlier this week, Zelensky said that in the coming days he would visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey. However, he indicated that he did not plan to meet with Russian and American representatives, who are due to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Moscow and Washington are preparing for a summit between the two presidents. Europe and Kiev are worried that they will try to resolve the three-year war in Ukraine without the participation of the Old Continent.
Throughout the war, the UAE was an important mediator between Russia and Ukraine, helping to exchange prisoners and return Ukrainian children from Russia.
In an interview with NBC television, Zelensky warned that Putin does not want peace and that people should not trust him, recalls Agence France-Presse.