ALBAWABA- In a surprising turn of events, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia for discussions on ending the war in Ukraine.
The announcement follows a lengthy and unexpected phone call between the two leaders, marking their first direct contact since Trump’s return to the White House.
Trump described the conversation as "highly productive" and reaffirmed his commitment to swiftly resolving the nearly three-year conflict.
Addressing concerns about Ukraine being sidelined, Trump insisted that all parties involved seek peace. "We expect that he'll come here, and I'll go there—we're going to meet probably in Saudi Arabia the first time," he told reporters in the White House, adding that the meeting would take place "in the not-too-distant future."
He also confirmed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently facilitated a Russia-U.S. prisoner exchange, would participate in the negotiations.
The Kremlin reported that the phone call lasted nearly 90 minutes and that Putin extended an invitation for Trump to visit Moscow.
Both leaders agreed that "the time has come to work together" to address the conflict. Trump, who previously pledged to end the war "within 24 hours" of taking office, later took to Truth Social to announce that he and Putin had a shared goal of stopping the "millions of deaths" caused by the war.
Following the call, Trump contacted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had not been included in the initial conversation with Putin. Zelensky described their exchange as "meaningful," stating that he shared key details of Ukraine's position.
Trump, in turn, claimed that "like President Putin, [Zelensky] wants to make peace." However, concerns have emerged that Ukraine might be excluded from critical discussions determining its own future.
Adding to the uncertainty, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told European allies that Ukraine’s ambition to reclaim its pre-2014 borders was an "illusionary goal" and dismissed the country’s NATO membership hopes as "not realistic"—aligning with key Russian demands.
Trump denied that Zelensky was being sidelined and pushed back against claims that Washington was conceding to Russian preconditions.
He also called NATO membership for Ukraine "impractical," while hinting at a possible deal involving Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for continued U.S. military aid.
The Kremlin’s statement on the Trump-Putin call remained measured, emphasizing that Putin was open to peace talks but insisted on addressing the "root causes" of the conflict—blaming Western influence over Kyiv.
The diplomatic maneuvering follows a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap, signaling a potential relationship thaw. Moscow recently released U.S. teacher Marc Fogel, while Belarus freed another American citizen, in exchange for the U.S. releasing Russian cryptocurrency figure Alexander Vinnik.
