Moscow is looking at Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as possible locations for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump.
According to Reuters, two Russian sources confirmed this possibility. The news comes after Trump stated that talks between Russia and Ukraine were progressing, though he did not give many details.
Since his election campaign, Trump has promised to help negotiate an end to the war.
Senior Russian officials have reportedly visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent weeks.
However, some Russian diplomats and intelligence officials are skeptical about this plan.
They point out that both countries have close military and security ties with the United States.
The Kremlin has denied any direct discussions with Washington regarding a phone call between Putin and Trump.
However, a conversation between the two leaders is expected to happen before any face-to-face meeting.
Trump has previously stated that he believes Putin is making a mistake by continuing the war. He suggested that Russia would be better off seeking peace.
On January 12, Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told ABC News that he expected Trump and Putin to speak in the coming weeks.
On January 24, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin was open to discussions with Trump.
However, Moscow has already rejected some key parts of a peace proposal from Trump’s team.
These included freezing the front lines, delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership for two decades, and deploying European peacekeeping forces.
While Trump has not shared the full details of his plan, his team insists that Ukraine’s independence must be preserved.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that both Kyiv and Moscow will need to make compromises for any peace agreement to work.
Meanwhile, experts at the Kyiv Security Forum believe that behind-the-scenes negotiations between the US and Russia will continue without Ukraine’s direct involvement.
They warn that this approach lacks a clear strategy and will not pressure Moscow into ending the war.
The ongoing uncertainty raises concerns about how future talks will unfold and whether they will bring real progress toward peace.
