Russia considers UAE and Saudi Arabia as sites for Putin’s meeting with Trump – Reuters
Pravda Ukraine
Russia is considering Saudi Arabia and the UAE as potential locations for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Source: European Pravda with reference to Reuters
Details: Russian officials have repeatedly denied any direct contact with the US regarding the preparation of a telephone conversation between Trump and Putin, which will precede a possible meeting later this year.
However, Russian sources who spoke anonymously reported that Russian officials had recently visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
One source said there is still some opposition within Russia, as some diplomats and intelligence officials point to the close military and security ties that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have with the United States.
Trump and Putin have developed friendly relations with the heads of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the first foreign head of state to call Trump after taking office. During his video-linked speech to the audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he called the crown prince a “fantastic guy”.
Putin, who will visit Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2023, said last September that he was grateful to Mohammed bin Salman for helping to organise the largest prisoner exchange between the US and Russia since the Cold War.
Background:
- On Sunday, Trump said that his administration had scheduled “meetings and talks with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia.” When asked about these words, Dmitry Peskov, the Russian leader’s spokesperson, said that contacts “are obviously planned.”
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 1 February that excluding Ukraine from US-Russian talks on the war in Ukraine would be “very dangerous” and asked for further discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a ceasefire plan.
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