US President Donald Trump made public plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia to talk peace in Ukraine, following a recent phone call between the two heads of state. The call, which Trump referred to as “lengthy and highly productive,” is their first known contact since his return to the White House and comes at the height of the war which began with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.
The statement has caused alarm in Ukraine of being excluded from discussions on its future, especially after Trump referred to Ukraine’s attempt to join NATO as “not practical,” a key Russian requirement. Trump calmed these fears by promising that Ukraine would not be excluded from negotiations between the two nuclear powers.
“We expect that he’ll be here, and I’ll be there—probably in Saudi Arabia for the first time,” Trump said. The summit is expected to occur “in the not too distant future,” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman set to be the main attraction.
After the telephone conversation, Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with the latter referring to their call as “meaningful.” Both leaders asserted they wanted peace, with Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, issued statements for top-level delegations to be engaged in ongoing talks.
But the exchange fueled concerns that America is giving in to Russian demands. Pentagon head Pete Hegseth indicated that Ukraine’s plan for restoring borders to 2014 is an unachievable goal and made the situation more complicated.
As negotiations go on, Kyiv and European capitals remain anxious about the consequences of any potential deal. The foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Spain emphasized that “just and lasting peace” can’t be achieved without Ukraine’s involvement and that of its European partners.
