The Kremlin on Monday said a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia was necessary but that Putin had no trips to the Middle East planned for mid-May.
Trump, who pledged to swiftly negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine shortly after retaking office, said over the weekend that he and his advisors have had “very good discussions”; about Russia and Ukraine in recent days.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov when asked by reporters about comments by Trump that he might consider meeting with Putin during a trip to Saudi Arabia this month, said the Kremlin chief had no trip there scheduled, but that “such a meeting is clearly on everyone’s lips.”;
“And in many ways we think it is certainly necessary. It has to be prepared accordingly and it requires efforts at various expert levels,”; including continued contacts between Moscow and Washington, he said.
Trump is reported to be traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE later this month to take part in a summit with Gulf leaders.
DAILY POST reports that Putin has not met a sitting US president since he held a summit in Geneva in June 2021 with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, Putin and Trump have spoken by phone several times this year as the US leader works to broker an end to the war.
