Moscow is considering Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as potential venues for future talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, Reuters reported Monday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
Both leaders have recently expressed willingness to meet to discuss ending Russia’s war on Ukraine, which Trump previously boasted he could end before taking office.
Senior Russian officials recently made trips to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but some Russian diplomats and intelligence officials reportedly oppose holding the summit there due to the countries’ close ties with the U.S. military and intelligence services.
Trump claimed Sunday that members of his team were already in talks with Russian authorities about ending the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that contacts were “apparently planned.”
While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not joined Western sanctions or criticized Russia’s invasion, their leaders have maintained diplomatic ties with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Neither country is a member of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 over alleged war crimes. Putin visited both Saudi Arabia and the UAE later that year.
Russia has already ruled out NATO member Turkey as a potential summit venue, citing its role in failed peace talks held in Istanbul in March 2022.
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