Location set for eventual first meeting between Trump and Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he expects to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, following a phone call in which the two leaders agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. According to Trump's statements, the first meeting between the two will take place in Saudi Arabia.

"We expect that he'll come here, and I'll go there, and we're going to meet also, probably in Saudi Arabia. The first time we'll meet in Saudi Arabia, see if we get something done," Trump said from the Oval Office. He also praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a possible host for the meeting. "We know the crown prince, I think it would be a very good place to meet," he added.

A meeting without Zelenski

Trump noted that the meeting would be exclusively between him and Putin, ruling out the possibility of Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky's participation. However, he left open the possibility of adding other parties in the future.

"We know the crown prince, I think it would be a very good place to meet," the president said.

Direct contact with Putin and summit agenda

Hours earlier, Trump revealed that he had spoken directly with Putin. During a 90-minute phone call, the two discussed the possibility of organizing future summits and exploring a solution to the conflict. "I think President Putin wants peace and President Zelensky wants peace. I want peace. I just want to see people stop getting killed," he declared.

Senior officials to join negotiations

As the meeting between the leaders is being arranged, Trump emphasized that, as part of efforts to end the war, senior officials from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia will meet next week in Saudi Arabia.

Trump clarified that, for now, the leaders of the countries will not be present but will send high-level representatives to conduct these discussions.

Criticism of Biden and call for peace

The president blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for not ending the war in Ukraine. "I'm not going to tell you my plan, this should've been done by Biden, not by me this has been going on for a long time," he expressed, without revealing details about his strategy.

Conversation with Zelensky and ongoing diplomacy

The president also reported talking with Zelensky about his plans to achieve peace. In a post on Truth Social, he reiterated his position, "The war must end."

Following his conversation with the Ukrainian leader, he assured that Zelensky, like Putin, seeks a negotiated solution. In addition, Trump advanced that Zelensky could meet on Friday in Munich with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of diplomatic efforts to address the conflict.