Trump and Putin May Meet in Saudi Arabia Next Week to Discuss War in Ukraine, Bloomberg Reports

A meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could take place in Saudi Arabia as early as next week, with delegations from both countries working to finalize the details as soon as today, Bloomberg reported on February 18.

High-ranking U.S. and Russian officials convened in Riyadh to discuss potential ways to end the war in Ukraine but without any Ukrainian representatives present. The talks come as Europe scrambles to keep up with the rapidly shifting diplomatic landscape.

The meeting follows Trump’s phone call with Putin last week. These discussions could lay the groundwork for a face-to-face summit between the two leaders as early as next week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already criticized the move, warning that Kyiv will not recognize “any agreements about us without us.”

The delegation consisted of White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio seated across from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin foreign-policy aide Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan was also present at the meeting.

According to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, the purpose of the meeting is to “determine if the Russians, perhaps, are serious and if they’re on the same page” with the U.S. on finding a resolution to the war.

Meanwhile, Ushakov, speaking to Russian state television upon his arrival in Riyadh, emphasized Moscow’s interest in restoring relations with Washington.

“The main thing is to begin a real normalization of relations between us and Washington,” he said, adding that discussions would cover both a potential settlement in Ukraine and preparations for a Trump-Putin summit.

Economic issues may also be on the agenda, with reports that Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, could join the talks. Dmitriev has claimed that U.S. companies have lost $300 billion since pulling out of Russia following the invasion.

Despite the momentum in Riyadh, Ushakov cautioned that it remains too early to confirm a Trump-Putin meeting next week, stressing that “intensive work” is still required.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul pointed out the contrasting goals of the two delegations:

“The Russian delegation is in Riyadh to improve U.S.-Russia relations,” he said. “The American delegation, or so we have been led to believe, is in Riyadh to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Those are very different agendas.”

Earlier, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, stated that no peace agreement would be imposed on Ukraine and that the decision to end the war would be made by Ukraine itself.