Trump to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia as part of Ukraine war diplomacy

In a diplomatic effort to end the Ukraine war, US President Donald Trump has announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia.

Following a phone call with Putin on Wednesday morning, Trump told reporters in Washington that they will have multiple meetings, with the first taking place in Saudi Arabia. He also mentioned that he expects Putin to visit the US, and that he will travel to Russia in the future.

This conversation marked their first official dialogue since Trump’s return to office. He also spoke separately with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump reaffirmed the US commitment to facilitating negotiations for peace in Ukraine. He announced the formation of a negotiation team, which includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

A high-level meeting is set for Friday in Munich, where Vice President J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio will represent the US at the Munich Security Conference, an annual event attended by key global defense and foreign affairs officials.

On Truth Social, Trump stated that he and Putin agreed on the urgency of stopping the war, emphasizing, “We want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia and Ukraine.” He also noted that Zelensky, like Putin, is eager to make peace and that their discussions covered various aspects of the conflict.

Trump had previously pledged to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. However, the situation has proven to be more complex, making these diplomatic efforts his first concrete steps toward fulfilling that promise.

On the same day, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined conditions for ending the war, ruling out a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders, when Russia annexed Crimea. He also stated that Ukraine should not be granted NATO membership and that the US would not deploy peacekeeping troops under a NATO framework. These conditions present significant challenges for Ukraine’s leadership.

Choosing Saudi Arabia as the meeting location provides an opportunity to address the ongoing conflict in Gaza as well. Saudi Arabia wields significant influence in the region, and Trump has previously claimed that a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages would occur even before he assumed office. While a ceasefire did materialize, the situation remains fragile, and Trump has stirred controversy by suggesting that the US could take control of Palestinian territories and displace residents. The Saudi visit may serve as an opportunity to stabilize the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The window for Trump and Putin’s meeting in Saudi Arabia is limited, as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins at the end of the month.

If the meeting takes place, it will be the first direct engagement between US and Russian leaders in nearly four years. This marks a stark shift from former President Joe Biden’s approach, as Biden last met Putin in 2021 and later declared that “Putin cannot stay in power.”

In his Truth Social post, Trump took a conciliatory stance, recalling the US-Russia alliance during World War II and expressing optimism about future cooperation. He stated, “We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.”

US officials are also concerned about Russia’s deepening ties with China, which have strengthened due to Moscow’s global isolation following its invasion of Ukraine. A renewed diplomatic approach toward Russia could serve US interests by weakening this alliance.

Another critical issue on the table is the renewal of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which limits nuclear warheads and missile deployments and is set to expire next year. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov recently stated that prospects for renewing the treaty remain uncertain.